Chaotic Light
by Writer25
Summary: In order to validate Joe's Warp Wizard status and Anna's official magic licenses Joe, Anna, and Joleena travel to Syrania, the central magic kingdom. But as magicians and time travelers gather for the annual Magic Convention, unrest begins to stir and a sinister plot may be brewing. Tensions mount as relationships are tested, and old and new friends appears
1. Prologue

Joe ducked under San-Li's kick and rolled to the side to avoid a swing from Fred's staff. He used his magic to form his own staff and countered a few of Fred's heavy blows. Fred had brute strength on his side but Joe was just a little bit faster. San-Li tried attacking him from the side again with a flying kick.

Joe through his hand out towards her. "Slow!"

A green light came over San-Li and she slowed mid air. Joe quickly jumped to the side. "Accelerate!"

The green light pulsed and San-Li flew into Fred, but she kicked off of him, knocking him back and used the momentum to kick Joe square in the chest, knocking him down too. Before he had a chance to recover she held him down with her foot and pointed her staff directly at his face.

San-Li smiled and gave a breathless chuckle. "That was pretty good. You're improving. Both of you are."

The three of them were in the park doing their weekly sparing session. Joe took her outstretched hand and she pulled him up. It had been more than a year since the incident on the island and Joe took every lesson from San-Li and Fina seriously. He would be damned if he was going to let the Tenebrosi catch them unprepared again.

"Yeah, but mind if we take a break?" Fred panted, stretching out his sore muscles. "We've at this for hours."

"I agree." Joe grunted, sitting up. "Every bone in my body is sore."

San-Li laughed and wiped her sweaty brow. "Wussies."

She let them take a break though and they made their way toward where Fina was sitting with Sammy, Keiko, and Alex. Fina reached in the cooler and handed them water bottles.

"Momma kakka buui!" Keiko babbled excitedly. "Ba booi!"

San-Li grinned and ruffled her hair. "That's right baby girl. Your mom kicks major butt."

"You guys were great out there." Fina gave her husband a special smile. "Especially you sweetheart."

Fred winked and flopped down next to her. "Thanks sweetheart. Got to keep in shape just for you."

She giggled and the two of them shared a kiss, making Joe and San-Li gag. Ever since the two of them got married they would close to insufferable with their constant affection and over all cuteness.

"So San-Li," Fina said with a teasing smirk. "Sam's supposed to come back tomorrow. Maybe he might have something special planned for you two?"

"For the hundredth time Fina, we're on a break right now." San-Li sighed in exasperation. "He comes down to visit the kids not me."

"Oh please San-Li, we all know he's still in love with you." Fred rolled his eyes. "You're just too stubborn to admit that you're-"

"So what do you guys want for lunch?" San-Li smiled at her kids and Alex.

"Pissa!" Sammy and Keiko yelled and Alex nodded excitedly.

"Pizza sounds great." Fred grinned. "To Ray's it is!"

"Sure, just let me text Joleena and see if she wants me to bring her a slice." Joe smiled and pulled out his cell phone. "My poor baby has been locked up in her study all day."

"Speaking of which, when are you going to pop the question dude?" Fred asked, draping his arm around Fina's shoulders. "You've had to have given it some thought by now."

Joe pretended not to hear him. His and Joleena's relationship was strong enough that they didn't need to get married. All they needed was each other and it was only a matter of time til they moved in together and had a few kids of their own. And they didn't need to get married to do that.

* * *

Joleena read through the incredibly long letter, the ink still glowing with fresh magic. Her family's head clerk and their Syranian ambassador Jasper waited patiently on the other side of her desk. It had been well over a year since the island incident and she was mildly annoyed that the council just now decided to respond to her many inquiries about Joe and Anna. There had been a second letter but it was now just a pile of ash.

She finished reading the letter with a sigh and snapped her fingers to make her carton of cigarettes appear. She offered one to Jasper but he declined with a polite smile and shake of his head. Joleena lit her cigarette with her magic and took a drag before speaking.

"So the council finally decided to recognize Joseph as Warp Wizard," She blew out a stream of smoke. "It's about time."

"Not quite," Jasper pointed out. "They're strongly considering it though, and would like to see if he's ready first."

Joleena shrugged. "He's ready. So is Anna. It's about time they were both recognized as true magicians."

"There have been some... troubles in the magic realm, you see." Jasper said. "The Council and elders are wary of new magic wielders. They feel that they must be extremely cautious."

"That explains these list of requirements and pending law changes." Joleena mumbled. "But I'll discuss those things with them and their uncle."

Jasper nodded and then cleared his throat nervously. "And um, your father wanted me to convey that he wished to speak with you regarding Sir Eadburt's letter."

"Well you can tell him that the answer is no." Joleena sneered, blowing out more smoke. "I don't care whatever previous arrangement there was, I'm not getting married. Father well knows that I'm already in a serious relationship with Joseph."

"But you are still unmarried, nor are you engaged to be." Jasper said. "The agreement was that you'd be married before your twenty-first birthday, which has already past, and now Sir Eadburt is getting anxious."

"Well he'll have to wait til I get back from Syrania and-"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Joleena." Jasper gave her a look full of sympathy. "Sir Eadburt meant that letter literally. All the arrangements have been made and you shall be married immediately in Syrania. It's already done."

 **A/N- I guess you can consider this a teaser/Prologue chapter. There's still a few more Life chapters to go before the rest of this continues, but don't be afraid to review this chapter and tell me what you think.**


	2. Planning Stages

Joe woke up with a sigh of contentment and slowly opened his eyes. His absolute favorite mornings were the ones where he got to wake up next to Joleena. The thick curtains on her windows helped to keep the morning sun from being to bright and cast the room in a soft burgundy haze.

Joleena slept soundly beside him making him smile. He loved it when Joleena let him spend the night with her. Her skin was as soft as silk sheets they made love on and the soft pants and moans she made drove him crazy. And when Joe made love to her, the weary look in her eyes disappeared for a while.

Joe reached out and gently caressed Joleena making her stir and roll onto her back. The blankets slipped down exposing her bare torso to him. His fingers trialed a path between the valley of her breasts and circled the only imperfect mark on her body. The scar. The scar from the wound he had been forced to inflict on her when she had been possessed by the Tenebrosi Sanction.

Seeing it still made Joe's stomach clench with guilt. It was large and jagged, the color a few shades lighter than her normal chocolate skin tone. And he was the one who did it to her. He forced his gaze back up to her face and found that she was awake and watching him.

" _Bonjour_." She said softly. "How are you?"

" _Tres bein._ " Joe gently kissed her lips. "Especially when I wake up next to you."

Joleena smiled and pulled the blankets up to cover herself, earning a disappointed frown from Joe. She giggled and nestled into his chest, tracing the scar on his side.

"So did you want to go out for breakfast or just stay in?" She asked sleepily. "We could visit that bakery you like."

Joe ran his fingers through her hair. "I'd rather stay in. Maybe I can make you a fancy French meal like I did for your birthday last week."

"You know, I never did figure out how you did that. Maybe I could observe-"

"Or we could steal some of Anna's cereal." Joe said quickly.

"Oh Joseph, I already know you snuck into my library and stole one of my spell books. The catalog book on the desk records every request."

"It does?" Joe cringed at his own over sight. "So what's my punishment? Are you going to turn me purple or give me ears and a tail?"

Joleena laughed and rolled on top of him, leaning her chin on her forearms. She smiled at him and her eyes sparked with affection. Joe smiled back and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing her even closer to him.

"Isn't this great?" He said softly. "Just you and me being together?"

"But of course _._ " She smiled and closed her eyes. "I love being with you."

"Well... just think of how much more time we could spend together if we moved in together."

Joleena opened her eyes and her smile disappeared. She rolled off of him with a sigh and got out of bed, pulling on her robe. Joe groaned and sat up.

"Come on, sweetheart why won't you let us move in together?" He asked. "We love each other don't we?"

"Love isn't the problem, you know that." Joleena cracked the window open and lit up a cigarette. "I've told you before, I refuse to move in with any man unless he's my husband."

"Well what if I'm not interested in getting married?" Joe said. "What happens then?"

Joleena looked at him a long moment before giving him a small nod. "As you wish."

Joe breathed a sigh of relief. "You know, for a second there I thought you were going to get mad at me."

He went to join her at the window, but she turned her head away from him and blew out a stream of smoke.

"I got a letter yesterday." She said. "The Grand Magic Council is finally considering officially bestowing you the title of Warp Wizard and recognize Anna as a legitimate magician."

"Really?" Joe's jaw dropped. "Th-that's incredible! What do we have to do?"

"There's a bi-annual convention that's taking place in Syrania in a few days." She said. "The Grand Magic Council meets to form or revise magic law and upcoming magicians can apply for their magic licenses. We'll go for a few weeks and you two can prove yourselves to them and acquaint yourselves with the magic community."

"That sounds awesome!" Joe grinned and grabbed his phone off the night stand. "I'm going to call Fina right now!"

* * *

Fina woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing on the night stand. She quickly reached over to silence it and saw that she had a new text message from Joe. Fina cast a wary glance at her sleeping husband. Thankfully the phone hadn't woken him and Fred continued to snore loudly, half of his face still buried into his pillow. They had been married for about eight months now and it still amazed Fina that he could sleep through almost anything.

Even so, Fina cautiously slid out from under his arm, pulled on his old high school jersey, and crept out of bed so she wouldn't wake him up. Fred bought her the phone so she could keep in contact with everyone, but he probably wouldn't be happy about Joe calling her so early in the morning. Fina walked into the living room to call Joe.

"Hey Fina." He answered on the third ring. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"Good morning sir." She said softly. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I was kinda wondering if you wouldn't mind taking an extended trip with me. Joleena needs me and Anna to go with her to the magic world."

"Um, how long is extended?"

"I dunno, a few weeks or so I guess. Is that a problem?"

"Not really," Fina bit her lip. "I would just have to clear it by Fred first. He doesn't really like me going anywhere without telling him first."

"Um, that's kinda weird but okay. Let me know as soon as you can alright?"

"Yes sir, I will." She nodded her head and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?"

Fina whirled around to see Fred standing behind her. He was smiling but Fina couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"No one." She smiled but kept her phone behind her back. "No one important I mean."

Fred returned her smile and came towards her. He gave her a loving kiss on the cheek before reaching behind her and grabbing the phone. Fina watched his expression carefully as he looked through the text messages and the call history. He didn't seem angry but it was hard to tell if he was irritated or not.

He handed the phone back to Fina before kissing her temple and headed into the kitchen. Fina set the phone down and followed him.

"So what do you want for breakfast?" Fred asked. "Omelets or waffles?"

"Um, whatever you want." Fina wrung her hands. "So... you aren't mad at me?"

"Nah, I'll let it slide this time." Fred teased and continued to make breakfast. "So what he want anyway?"

Fina smiled in relief. "Nothing big. He just wants me to go with him, Anna, and Joleena to the magic world for a few weeks. I told him I'd run it by you first."

"A few weeks?" Fred stopped what he was doing and turned around. "How many weeks is a few weeks?"

"I dunno. Three weeks maybe?"

"Huh. Just last month you warped with him to Nigeria for two weeks. Now he wants take you to the magic world for three."

Fina bit her lip and lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry. But you know my first priority is to serve Joe. Especially with stuff like this. He's never been to the magic world before except the time when we rescued Joleena."

"Which is why I'm going with you." Fred smiled. "It'll be fun. Like a magic vacation or something. Go get my phone so I can call work and tell them I'm taking my vacation early."

Fina nodded and smiled. "Okay. Magic vacation it is."

* * *

Sam pulled up to San-Li's apartment and tried to quell the nervous flutter in his stomach. He sat in the car for a while trying to get the nerve to go up.

Part of him still couldn't believe that they had been broken up for almost a full year. Correction, he _didn't_ want to believe that they had been broken up for almost a full year. Sam wished he could say that he had been trying to win her back this entire time, but to be completely honest his work in the labs at MIT kept him so busy that he could barely make time to visit Sammy and Keiko. And when he did visit them, San-Li always made herself scarce.

"Ah!" He jumped when his cellphone rang, breaking into his thoughts. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was Joleena. He answered the phone with a small smile. "Hey, I'm glad you finally called me back. What did you think of my proposal?"

"That it couldn't have been better timing." Joleena chuckled. "I was just planning a trip to the magic world for Joseph, Anna, and myself. I think that it'll be an excellent opportunity for you to come along."

"Perfect timing. I just took a month off of school." Sam smiled. "Can talk more about this over coffee tomorrow? I just got to San-Li's place."

"Ugh, please don't tell me you still retain romantic feelings for that _chienne."_

Sam hung up the phone without dignifying her remark with a response. He took another breath to calm his nerves and opened up the car door.

* * *

"For the last time Joe, the answer is no." San-Li mumbled angrily. "Now stop asking me because I'm not going to change my mind."

"Come on San-Li, you know I'm right." Joe said calmly. "Neither of us really know what a time dragon is and or how to really deal with Alex being one. This magic convention might be a great opportunity to find out."

The two of them were in the kitchen finishing up the dishes while the children played in the living room. Or rather San-Li was finishing up the dishes while Joe spouted nonsense about taking Alex into the magic world. San-Li wouldn't even consider letting Alex attend a public school, let alone a place where he'd vulnerable to who knows what.

San-Li sighed and forced herself to calm her tone. "Look Joe, Alex is my little brother and it's my job to look after him. And I don't want him involved with the magic world. The Tenebrosi Sanction-"

"Already found him once and they can do it again." Joe said firmly. "We all need to know what Alex can do and so does he. If he's attacked or kidnapped he needs to know how to defend himself."

"No he doesn't. That's what he has me for! If you want me to go with you fine, but taking Alex is out of the question."

Joe remained silent for a while and took a deep breath. "San-Li, I know you feel strongly about this and I didn't want it to come to this, but..." He gently grabbed her hand and turned it over revealing their bond mark on the underside of her wrist, "I'm asking you as a friend, but we both know that I don't really have to ask."

San-Li snatched her hand away and slapped Joe hard across the face. Her own hand hurt but she was satisfied to see Joe's cheek already turning red. There was a knocking at the door and she went to answer it.

"What?" She said sharply.

"Um, hey San-Li." Sam gave her shaky smile. "Long time no see."

 **A/N- So Chaotic Light has officially begun! If you want to put this in a time line this takes place about two years after Fallen Light. Please review and tell me what you think.**


	3. Setting Off

After they dropped the twins off at Sam's mom's house, Sam, San-Li, and Alex piled into his car and headed towards Joleena's house. As he drove Sam noticed that while Alex seemed excited about taking a mystery trip, San-Li sat in irritated silence. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he knew that it might not be the best idea.

"You okay?" He asked quietly. "You're really quiet."

"Of course I'm not okay." San-Li mumbled angrily. "I can't believe that bastard best friend of yours, ordering me around like that. Magicians are all alike. They think their power gives them to the right to do whatever they want."

Sam grimaced. San-Li had briefly filled him in on how Joe got the swollen read mark on his cheek. While he thought Joe was out of line threatening to order San-Li with their bond, it did make sense that Alex should learn about his time dragon powers. But there was no way he would tell San-Li that.

Going against his earlier logic, he reached out and gingerly laid a hand on her knee. "Hey. No matter what, we'll _both_ be there to protect Alex."

San-Li's eyes flickered towards his and for a brief moment he thought her lips twitched up in a smile. But then she brushed his hand away and went back to looking out the window.

"And just what the heck could you do? Blind them with science?" She mumbled.

"It would be poetry in motion." Sam chuckled.

This time San-Li did actually smile and Sam felt his heart leap. It had been so long since he had made her smile that part of him was worried that he wouldn't be able to do it anymore. They pulled up to Joleena's place and Sam put the car in park.

"You know, I'm really glad we're taking this trip with the others." He smiled. "It'll give us the chance to get to know each other all over again."

San-Li rolled her eyes and opened the car door without answering. She got her and Alex's things out the car and started to head into the house. Before she reached the door though, she looked over her shoulder at him.

"This isn't some vacation Sam, so don't get any ideas." She sighed. "But... I appreciate the effort."

Sam smiled sheepishly and followed them inside. San-Li could try and be cold all she wanted, but he had still made her smile.

* * *

Anna was rocking back and forth on her heels in nervous excitement as she stood in Joleena's magic library. She had barely slept at all the past three days ever since Joleena told her that she was about to officially become a licensed magician.

"Ah, here it is." Joleena said pulling a wooden box down from a shelf.

She levitated the box down to Anna and carefully climbed down the ladder. Anna carefully grabbed the box from the air and hissed when the magic laden wood stung her skin. There was a line of Latin text carved into it that was faded and worn.

" _Pro illis etiam caelestis numinis_." Anna read out loud. "For those of divine power."

" _Oui_." Joleena smiled and took the box from her. "This is my gift to you _ma cherie._ As my student, you have made me so incredibly proud with how much your magic has grown."

Joleena then opened the box revealing a set of three clear crystals on a gold chain. She took them out and held them in front of Anna. The glowed faintly with white light and seemed to move in their own breeze.

Joleena whispered, "Hold out your hands and focus your magic."

Anna did what she said and cupped her hands under the crystals. She then focused her magic into her palms. The crystals immediately reacted. The white light shone brighter and the crystals detached themselves from their holdings. They began levitating in a circular motion above her hands, glowing brighter and brighter until they blurred into a halo of light. Anna felt something pull from within her and she gasped as her magic left her hands and went into the halo. The crystals absorbed the Anna's magic and slowed.

When the crystals came to a stop they were now a deep pink color. They dropped into Anna's hands and she could feel her magic within them.

"These crystals are now bonded to your magic." Joleena explained. "Not only will they help you divine the future, but they will also help you focus your magic and can be used as a weapon."

Anna opened her mouth to thank her but no sound came out. It was all just to incredible and exciting to really believe. Tears stung her eyes and she threw her arms tightly around Joleena's waist.

"Thank you." She whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Thank you for everything Joleena."

"You're welcome _ma petite soeur."_ Joleena hugged her back. "Now let's get back downstairs to the others so we can leave."

Anna nodded and fastened the chain around her waist like a belt so she can always keep her crystals close.

* * *

"I still can't believe I'm going to be the Warp Wizard!" Joe said excitedly.

Fred snickered and nudged his arm. "Yeah and it only took you eleven years to do it."

"Shut up!"

The three of them were sitting in Joleena's living room with their luggage stacked up around them, waiting for everyone else so they could leave for the magic world. Fred and Fina were lounging around on the couch but Joe was way too excited to sit down.

"By the way, what happened to your cheek?" Fina tilted her head to study Joe. "It looks red and swollen."

Joe shrugged and looked away. "I um... had an argument with San-Li about... stuff."

Fred and Fina exchanged a look but didn't comment any further. After a while Sam, San-Li, and Alex finally showed up. Joe and San-Li exchanged heated glare but didn't say anything to each other.

"Ah, finally you three have finally arrived." Joleena said coming into the living with Anna. "Now we can finally be on our way. Is this all your luggage?"

They nodded and she pulled out her notebook. "Now where is that spell again? I just wrote it last night... ah, here it is! _Transporto impedimenta ad_ Medate!"

Purple smoke billowed out from under their pile of luggage and their suitcases sunk through the floor.

"So where'd all our stuff go?" Fred asked.

"I transported it to where we'll be staying ahead of time." Joleena smiled at Joe. "Now _mon amour,_ if you'll use your book we can head to the sea port I told you about and we can be on our way."

"Right." Joe nodded.

He pulled out The Book and flipped towards the back pages. He then turned The Book on its side, letting the symbols form a map of the magic world, and touched the small island that Joleena showed him earlier. The green mist poured out and warped them away.

 **A/N- Sort of more set up, but the next chapter will be more interesting as they set sail towards Syrania! Don't forget to read and review please**


	4. Welcome to Syrania

They warped to a seaport island called Medate and from there boarded a ship that would take them the rest of the way to their destination. Joleena briefly explained that security was becoming tighter in the magic world, preventing direct teleportation to any major capitals. The voyage took half a day and the rest of the night. The sun was just beginning to rise when the ship finally reached the docks and everyone went out on deck to get their first glimpse of the magic kingdom.

Birds flew overhead leaving trails of colorful magic in their wake. Past the docks was a bustling town filled with both humans and non humans walking about, selling things, buying things, or on their way to work. And beyond the town rose and enormous palace with towering spires. And a magnificent river wound around the grassy plains, trailing into the distance towards the mountains.

Fred, Joe, and Sam were all slack jawed with amazement. Not even in their craziest warps had they ever seen a place like this. Alex nearly fell over the railing trying to get a better look.

"Whoa." Fred breathed. "What is this place?"

"Syrania." Joleena mumbled, writing down something in her notebook. "The central kingdom of the magic world."

"Syrania?" Fina paled. "This is Syrania?"

Joleena made a noise of impatience. " _Oui_ , that is what I said. Now _allons,_ I see my father's clerk Jasper. He will help us get through the customs check."

As everyone started to follow her off the boat, Fred gently touched Fina's shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked eyeing her in concern. "You look kinda freaked. Have you been here before?"

"Umm, sorta," Fina forced her hands to remain still and smiled at him. "But it was so long ago though, that it's hardly worth mentioning."

"Are you sure? Because you look a little pale. You know you can tell me anything right?"

Fina nodded and quickly followed the others off the ship with Fred close behind her. Waiting on the dock for them was a tall, dark skinned man with light purple hair who looked about in his forties. He smiled when he saw Joleena and gave her a brief bow.

"I'm glad to see you and your party safely arrived, Miss Joleena." He smiled. "Here are you identification papers, travel visas, and room keys for the inns you asked me to book for you."

He handed Joleena a thick manilla envelope stuffed with papers and Joleena briefly flipped through them. She nodded and handed each of them a small stone with a symbol carved on it on a leather cord.

"Wear these wherever you go. These will help you get in and out of the palace and the soldiers won't mess with you either. They also double as your room keys for the inn." She explained. "And Sam, as you requested, your stone can grant you unlimited access to any resources you need for you research."

"Thanks." Sam said eagerly. "I can't wait to get started."

"When can we start exploring?"

"Can we go see the palace now?"

"Where's the Magic Convention?"

Joleena laughed and held up her hand. "Patience, patience. We'll get to all that later. Let's check into the inn first, freshen up, and then we can formally present ourselves to the king and queen."

"We're actually meeting royalty!?" Anna pressed her hands together excitedly. "This is so awesome!"

Jasper called a car for them that ran on magic and they headed in the direction of the palace. Next to the palace rose a tall building that looked close to a modern hotel expect that it was made out of gleaming white and blue wood and had exotic flowers growing in the garden out front. There was also a river between the palace walls and the inn with a bride connecting the inn and palace. Several glanced at them and they couldn't help but stare back at all the different forms of humans, demi humans, and non humans. Some magicians and sorcerers were showing off their magic.

After Jasper helped them check in, everyone went to their rooms to freshen up and change clothes. They agreed to meet in the lobby in an hour so that Joleena could brief them on how to behave and they would all go the palace together.

* * *

Joleena was exhausted and savored the idea of collapsing in the nearest bed, but Joe stopped her in the hall with a hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and slowly turned to face him.

"Can we talk later, Joseph? Because I'm really tired-"

"Did I do something to make you mad?" Joe interrupted. "Because you barely spoke to me over the past four days and you barely looked at me during the entire voyage here."

Joleena sighed and looked away. "Look Joe, just because I have a lot on my mind and didn't feel like socializing doesn't mean I'm upset with you."

"Oh really?" Joe frowned and folded his arms. "Then why did you book us separate rooms?"

"Oh don't be so dramatic Joseph! The rooms adjoin through the bathroom and I booked them so we can have space to work and study, not as some spite to you!" She felt some of her anger coming through and forced herself to tamper it down. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to rest before we present ourselves to the king and queen."

She opened her door and went inside but Joe slipped in after her before she could close the door. He closed it himself and followed her to the bed and sat down next to her. Joe took her hands in his and his eyes showed both annoyance and concern.

"Joleena, I can't help but feel that there's something you aren't telling me." He said. "And I can't fix it or apologize until you tell me what's wrong."

 _Why the hell won't you just marry me!?_ The words were on Joleena's tongue but her pride kept her from saying them out loud. If Joe didn't love her enough to propose on his own then she very well wasn't going to ask him herself. So she forced herself to smile at him and pulled her hands out of his.

"Forgive me _mon amour_ , I've just been really busy preparing for this trip." She said softly. Tears threatened to come into her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. "And I guess I'm just tired. I really need to rest."

Joe stared at her and she could tell that from his expression that he didn't believe her one bit. He actually seemed to be debating whether or not to tell her something. But then he sighed and laid back on her bed, holding his arms out for her.

"Come on," He smiled softly. "I'll rock you to sleep if you want."

Joleena wanted to tell Joe to leave. Joleena needed to tell Joe to leave. She was going to be married in a week and it would be better if she broke up with him right here, right now. But Joe's soft green eyes seemed to draw her very soul towards him and she found herself laying her head on his chest instead. Joe's arms closed around her and he started stroking her hair. The caresses soothed her and she started to drift off to sleep.

"Now that you mention it, I could use a nap too." Joe chuckled and kissed her head. "I've been having some... nightmares lately and I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Nightmares?" Joleena stifled a yawn. "What were they about?"

Joe paused his gentle strokes and then resumed them.

"Nothing important." He mumbled. "Just...get some sleep _amoureux_. I'll wake you up in about an hour and we'll head to the palace."

Joleena nuzzled into his chest and savored her possibly last peaceful and romantic moment with him. "Whatever you want, _mon amour._ "

* * *

"Isn't this the coolest vacation ever?" Fred grinned looking out the window. "I can't believe that we're actually going to meet magic royalty."

"Yeah, unbelievable." Fina muttered.

She sat on their bed twisting her fingers together and feeling her stomach flutter with uneasiness. Syrania was so different from when she last saw it. It was bigger, more modern, and the air even seemed to be filled with more magic though that may be because of the Magic Convention taking place.

But still, even with everything that changed in the pass thousand years Fina couldn't help but see her past every where she went. The small market that used to be by the docks where she bought fish for Miss Xa'ma. The tailor's that she used to by her sewing supplies from. The apple orchard where she would sneak out and meet...

"Hello, Earth to Fina." Fred waved his hand in front of her face.

"Huh?" She started and looked up to see him staring at her.

He peered closely into her face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You alright, Angel? You totally spaced out on me."

"I'm... fine." Fina smiled as an idea hit her. "Actually I'm more than fine."

Fred looked confused but before he could say anything Fina leaned up and captured his lips in a firm kiss. He groaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him onto the bed and on top of her. When they separated for air, Fina smiled up at her husband and saw that his blue gray eyes sparked with love and desire.

"Instead of going to the palace why don't we just stay here?" She whispered softly. "We could try for a baby again."

Fred chuckled and laid a hand on her flat stomach. "It would be really cool to have a kid of our own. Maybe even a set of twins like Sam and San-Li."

 _Yes, perfect._ Fina smiled in relief and started trailing light kisses up his neck before nipping his earlobe. But Fred pulled away from her with another laugh and got off the bed.

"But we'll have plenty of time for that later, Angel." Fred smiled and held out his hand. "Now let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

Fina had no choice but to smile and reluctantly took her husband's hand.

* * *

Anna was way too excited to stay in her room for more than five minutes so she decided to go ahead to the lobby and wait for the others. The lobby was vast with large cushioned chairs, bookshelves, and a fountain in the center. She sat on one of the chairs and watched everything with wide eyes.

There were magicians, sorcerers, and mages of various ages and with various styles of magic. Three men and a woman with blue skin were floating a few feet in the air meditating in lotus positions. Two girls with semi transparent wings were chatting in the cafe in the corner. And there was a guy sitting by a window reading a book.

Anna blinked and looked closer at him. The guy looked about her age with fair, almost pale skin, light brown messy hair tied back in a pony tail, and black sunglasses. There was something oddly familiar about him, but Anna was sure she'd never seen him before. Maybe he was on the ship?

The guy's head suddenly lifted from his book and turned towards her. Anna jumped. _Oh great! He totally caught me staring at him. What do I do? What do I do?_ She hesitantly lifted her hand and gave him a small smile. She couldn't see his eyes behind his glasses but after a while his mouth turned up in the smallest of smiles.

"Hi there!" A girl suddenly popped into her vision. "Are you new? I don't think I've ever seen you here before."

The girl looked about a year younger than her with icy blue hair styled into two pony tails and had light purple eyes. She was smiling at Anna and her round face shone with friendliness and light.

Anna found her friendliness contagious and smiled back. "Yeah, I'm Anna and this is my first time here. What's your name?"

"Cecilia. My parents own the tavern right next to this inn. I came here to pass out coupons for the people going to the Magic Convention so I've seen all the faces here, but I've never seen you before."

"That's because I'm just now earning my magic license for the first time." Anna giggled. "And I've been excited about it ever since my mentor told me about it."

Cecilia gasped and clapped her hands together. "You're a magician!? That's so cool! I wish I could do magic but I can barely mix a drink potion."

Anna would have been happy to continue the conversation, but she heard Joleena calling her. She looked over and saw Joleena and the others waiting for her by one of the side doors. Joleena was impatiently waving her over.

Anna stood and smiled at Cecilia. "Listen I have to go, but I'd love to talk to you again."

"Come to the tavern whenever you have time." Cecilia handed her a flier. "Maybe when I get off of work I can give you a tour."

"Sounds good." Anna nodded. "See you later."

She gave her new friend a final wave and headed over to where the others were. As she crossed the lobby she looked to where the guy had been and saw that his chair was empty. Anna shrugged and quickened her steps, feeling that much closer to getting her magic license.

 **A/N- Yes, things are finally happening! Please enjoy reading and tell me what you think by reviewing. And even if you don't have a fanfiction account, don't be afraid to leave a guest review.**


	5. Enter the Throne Room

The palace was made up of several buildings wrapped around several courtyards and gardens and surrounded by a large wall. The guards let them pass after checking their stones and they could see that the palace was already filled with people. And there were plenty of guards everywhere. It was no wonder though. The magic in the air felt stronger and most of the magicians looked like they knew they belonged there.

To be honest, even with Joleena by his side, Joe felt more than a little intimated. Everyone just seemed so sure of themselves and it didn't look like that had to go through hell like he had. Jasper met them in the front hall with yet another sheaf of papers in his hands.

"Miss Joleena," Jasper smiled and bowed low to her. "You and your party are just in time. The royal family is just about to make their appearance. Come on, I'll walk with you to the throne room."

They walked through the main hall that was hung with tapestries bearing the names and crests of a few different kingdoms and countries. They entered though a set of giant double doors and found themselves in the massive throne room. The thrones were empty, but off to the side by the windows was a large table loaded with food and drinks. Magicians, mages, and courtiers were milling around socializing with each other and more than a one were throwing curious glances their way.

"There sure are a lot of people here." Joe mumbled. "And why do I feel like people are staring at us?"

"It may be because they sense your inner Warp Wizard magic." Jasper said. "And you're standing with a Beauchene. In your normal world I believe that's the equivalent of being with a celebrity or a political figure."

Sure enough when Joe looked again he noticed that whenever Joleena made eye contact with someone they gave her a small bow and she would give them a nod in return. People even seemed a little in awe of her.

It was both thrilling and terrifying to have a girlfriend like that. Joe was lucky that he was the future Warp Wizard or Joleena probably wouldn't have looked twice at him. Let alone stay with him for so long without..

Joe immediately shook the thought out of his head. Joleena loved him for him, not because of some potential status. He smiled and grabbed her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. Her eyes flashed toward his and she gave him a small smile.

"So just what is a Magic Convention anyway?" Fred asked. "Is it like one of those nerdy comic book conventions?"

"Well, I'm not familiar with comic book conventions, but I'll be happy to explain what this event is." Jasper said. "Once every two years anyone wielding magic, including a few time travelers, come to Syrania where they can prove themselves in magic contests, train and spar with others, renew and gain magic licenses and so forth. It's also when the Grand Magic Council gathers to ratify new laws."

"All that happens here?" Sam asked adjusting his glasses. "How long does this convention last?"

"Over the course of about three weeks give or take." Jasper glanced at his watch and gave a small bow. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to drop some of these papers off before I meet with Mr. Beauchene."

Joleena blinked in surprise and slipped her hand out of Joe's. "Daddy's here? I-I thought he wouldn't be coming until tomorrow."

"No, I'm afraid he's here today and he absolutely insists on speaking with you, Miss Joleena. And you know exactly why."

"I'll speak to him later." Joleena said quickly.

Jasper nodded and quickly walked away. Left with nothing to do but wait, everyone split off to mingle and explore.

* * *

Fina didn't know what she had been so worried about. The palace had grown twice as large as when she last visited and nothing looked familiar. The people were dressed differently since the fashion customs most likely changed as well. There were no past ghosts lurking around any corners, no indications of her past life.

So Fina could fully enjoy standing next to her husband while they talked to some of the younger magicians trying to get their licenses. They seemed around twelve years old and seemed a little in awe of Fred's height and muscles.

"So you don't have any magic?" They exchanged a look and eyed Fred curiously. "So... are you some kind of warrior or something?"

"I guess you could say that." Fred smiled proudly and draped an arm around Fina's shoulders. "My wife and I travel with the soon to be Warp Wizard and help him out on his adventures. She cooks the meals while I fight shadow mages."

Fina was tempted to roll her eyes but the boys' jaws literally dropped.

"Whoa! You actually fought a shadow mages? Without magic!?"

"Yep, sure did. The guy could barely touch me."

"Cool!" "Awesome!"

Fina smiled and lightly touched Fred's arm, glancing at the table loaded with drinks. He got the hint and they left the boys to head over there.

"I guess I had no hand in fighting the shadow couple, huh?" She glanced up at Fred with a small teasing smile. "I just cooked the meals for everyone."

Fred chuckled and hugged her close. "Sorry babe, just trying to make the story interesting. Besides, with such a sweet, angelic face like yours, who would believe you can actually be kinda tough?"

Fina's smile fell a little. "But you know I'm not helpless right?"

"I never said you were."

"But you implied it."

Fred stopped walking and looked at her with an amused half smile. "Are we having our first fight, Angel? 'Cause if we are, its a kind of lame fight don't you think?"

Her lips turned back up in a smile and she giggled. "Yeah, this would be a lame fight. If we were having one."

"Which we aren't." He winked and handed her a drink. "Because we never fight, right?"

Fina smiled and touched her glass to his. "Right."

* * *

San-Li felt her hand twitch at being surrounded by all the magic users. Their magic gems, charms, and rings seemed to call out to her, practically begging to be stolen and sold. And there were even more, twice as naive, novice magicians just right to scam or intimate into handing over their valuables. People with magic tended to have a nasty habit of under estimating people like her. Two days and she could buy that new stereo speaker system she had her eye on.

Alex huffed and folded his arms, giving her a suspicious look.

"What's that look for?" She ruffled his hair fondly. "I haven't even done anything yet."

"No, but you look like you're planning something." Sam chuckled. "I haven't forgotten about your kleptomania habit."

San-Li sighed in mild annoyance. "What are you even doing here, Sam? I told you that you didn't have to come."

"Believe it or not, everything I do isn't _just_ because of you." Sam's smile fell a little. "But if you really want to know, I came here so I could do some first hand research. I'm going to study magic materials and see if I can synthesize them from normal materials."

San-Li's impatient frown vanished. "Really? Why? What would you do if you could?"

"Use the new material for some ideas I had for inventions. Maybe some anti magic armor or weapons Fred can use in case of emergencies. "

Sam pulled out his tablet and showed her some rough blue prints and images. There were detailed, close up photos of a the sample of cirmec fur they had taken off the island, rough blue prints for flying shoes like future Sammy had, and others that were completely new to San-Li.

"Well someone's been busy." San-Li muttered. "These designs look pretty cool. Is this an upgrade for your blue tooth, two way communication device?"

Sam looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Yeah. If I can pull it off this upgrade will allow communication between someone in the magic world and someone in the normal world."

"That would be awesome." San-Li smiled, thinking of the children they had to leave behind.

"I miss them too." Sam said, as if he read her mind. "It's going to be hard not being able to at least call and check up on them."

San-Li glanced over her shoulder at him and found that he was smiling at her. She tried not to, but she couldn't help but smile back. His smile grew and she felt her heart flutter, but then she glanced over and noticed that Alex was missing.

"Oh crap."

She shoved the tablet back in Sam's hands and looked around for her brother. Panic churned in her stomach when she didn't see him immediately. He was so small that it was easy to loose him in any crowd. And here, who knows what kind of scum bag could sense his inner magic and try to take advantage of him?

She jumped when Sam laid a hand on her shoulder.

"He's by the food table." He said calmly, pointing. "See?"

San-Li looked and sure enough Alex was eating nearly everything in sight, earning disgusted looks from the people around him. She breathed a sigh of relief and touched Sam's hand in thanks before heading over to Alex.

"Alex!" She stormed over to him. "What have I told you about leaving me like that? You know better!"

Alex rolled his eyes and held up both of his pointer fingers, indicating his age. But San-Li wasn't buying it. She knelt down to be eye level with and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Alex, I know that you're eleven now, but we're in a tricky situation here." She said in a low serious voice. "This isn't some vacation, we're here because you have a... special gift and Joe and I are trying to find out more about it. But there are people who might try to hurt or even kidnap you again because of it. So I need to make sure you stay safe which means no running off like that. Understand lil' bro?"

Alex grunted angrily and looked away, but he nodded.

"Good boy." San-Li gave him a peck on the forehead.

* * *

"So what does your dad want this time?" Joe mumbled irritably, wrapping an arm around Joleena's waist. "Is he still trying to get you to move in with him? I though having Anna move in with you solved all that?"

"No, it isn't that." Joleena sighed. "Joseph, there's something I have to tell you..."

The blare of trumpets cut her off and a herald came through a side door near the throne. "Now arriving, their royal highnesses King Apollo III, Queen Roxanne, and their children Prince Arnold, Princess Mavis, and Princess Caroline!"

Everyone bowed as the royal family came in flanked by guards. King Apollo III was a tall but round man with a full beard and piercing gold eyes. Queen Roxanne was pale and lean with strawberry blond hair piled loosely in a bun. And their three children looked about eight, seven, and five respectively and were miniature versions of their parents.

"Welcome magicians, mages and sorcerers!" The king called out in a booming yet friendly voice. "I am please to welcome you all to my kingdom so that we may share in the bountiful gifts bestowed upon us together! And so may our lights shine to expel the darkness! _Operi Lux, et Lux Omnem Vitam!_ "

The crowd echoed his call and everyone cheered.

"What does that mean?" Joe asked.

"Long live the light and light to all life." Joleena translated.

She glanced around and her eyes landed on her father talking with Sir Eadburt. Her heart rose to her throat and she squeezed Joe's arm.

"Joseph, there's something I really need to tell you-"

Joe smiled her but a thunderous voice interrupted her again.

"Ah! The little lady Beauchene has arrived!" King Apollo strode up to them with a large grin on his face, followed by Queen Roxanne. "Ha Ha! I used to call you that when you were but a babe. Do you remember me child?"

Joleena forced herself not to grimace and bowed low to him. "It is an honor to see you again your majesties."

The king raised her up with one hand and the queen kissed her on both cheeks in greeting.

"How nice to see you again Joleena." She smiled at her. "You look lovely."

"Thank you your highness." Joleena smiled and gestured to Joe. "And may I present the soon to be Warp Wizard, Joseph Arthur?"

Joe gave them a shaky smile and bowed to them. "It's um, r-really nice to meet you, your, um highnesses."

"Hmm," King Apollo looked him over and nodded. "Young, but with clear eyes which means and open heart. May the council bestow your title quickly."

"T-thank you sir." Joe stammered.

Someone called the king over and he gave them another nod before taking his wife's arm. "Oh, and congratulations on your wedding, I'm sure it'll be a splendid event."

"Wedding?" Joe turned to Joleena with a confused smile after they left. "Who told them we were getting married?"

"You're not the she's marrying Joseph."

Joe looked up and Joleena cringed when she saw her father come up to them with a slightly smug smile on his face. Sir Eadburt was right beside him with a smile on his face as well. Joe frowned and folded his arms.

"Are you serious, Mr. Beauchene?" He asked angrily. "If this is another ploy to get us to break up-"

"This isn't a ploy Joseph," Joleena sighed sadly. "It's the truth. I'm getting married next week. It's already been set and sealed."

"What!?" Joe stared at her as if he didn't believe her. "T-to who!?"

"Mr. Eadburt's son." Joleena voice came out a whisper and she found she couldn't look at him. "Christophe. My ex boyfriend."

 **A/N- Please read and review**


	6. Smoke and Tears

Joe could only stare at Joleena blankly as her words sunk in. Married? She was getting married? To her ex boyfriend? In a week?

Mr. Beauchene continued to smile smugly and Joe felt burning anger surge through him. He clenched his fists to keep himself from taking a swing at him.

"I swear Mr. Beauchene, if you're brainwashing Joleena again-"

"He's not brainwashing me, Joseph." Joleena said quietly. "It's... complicated."

"Joleena is doing nothing more than being an obedient daughter." Mr. Beauchene said. "And she's choosing a husband who will actually benefit her and her future children."

"Christophe is an excellent match for Joleena." Sir Eadburt nodded. "I apologize for any misunderstanding or inconvenience, but please consider whatever _former_ relationship you had with my future daughter in law completely over."

Joe glanced at Joleena and his gut twisted when she kept her eyes down cast, completely submissive to what was going on.

"Can I talk to you Joleena?" He said through clenched teeth. "Alone?"

Sir Eadburt frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's out of the question young man. Completely inappropriate for you two-"

"I can very well speak to him." Joleena said sharply, throwing him a glare. "I am not yet married to your son."

Joe held out his hand for her but she brushed past him and strode out of the throne room. He followed close on her heels and practically pushed her into the nearest alcove so no one could over hear their conversation.

"Joleena, what the heck is going on?" Joe struggled to keep his voice level. "Why are they saying that you're getting married to Christophe?"

"Because I am." Joleena heaved a weary sigh. "We've been engaged since we were children."

"We've been dating for five years! When were you going to tell me!?"

Joleena's tearful eyes suddenly flared with anger. "Well if you were so concerned, why didn't you just marry me in the first place!?"

"What are you talking about? What the hell does that have to do with anything!?"

A few tears slid down her cheeks, but she hastily wiped them away. "You keep saying that you love me and want to be with me, but every time I bring up marriage you just... dismiss the very idea of it. _Vous venez de me garde leader_ sur!"

Joe cringed but shook his head. "Joleena, I do love you and I want to be with you. Which is why I don't want you marry Christophe or anyone else! "

"Or you either right?"

"No, that's not it!"

"Then what is it? Are you intimated by me? By my family?"

"No! I'm trying to protect you!"

"From what!?"

"I..." Joe took a deep breath and grabbed her hands. "Ever since I met you Joleena, I knew you were the one for me and I always wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. But... around the time I met you..."

He steeled his nerves and looked into her eyes. "I had a vision of you in a wedding dress surrounded by fire. And every time I thought about how much I loved you the vision came back. So I told myself that I would never marry you because I wanted to keep you safe."

There. Joe had finally told Joleena the truth. It felt like such a large weight had been lifted off his chest and he sighed in relief. Joleena's mouth was open in surprise and she slowly shook her head.

"I don't believe this..." She whispered.

Joe shrugged with a small smile. "Yeah, crazy right?"

"I can't believe you would lie to me just so you wouldn't have to tell me the truth!"

"What?" Joe blinked at her. "Joleena, I'm not lying. I am telling you the truth!"

"No you aren't, Joseph." Joleena snatched her hands out of his. "Because if you did have this so called _la prevonyance_ you would have told me. You know very well how powerful I am and that I can very well take care of myself! Just admit that you don't want to make a serious commitment to me."

"I don't want to be committed to you?" Joe's surprise was quickly turning into anger. "You're the one who hid this entire engagement in the first place!"

"I told you it's complicated!" Joleena yelled.

A group of people walked past them and threw them an odd look. Joleena flushed in embarrassment and closed her eyes. Joe took several deep breathes and tried to calm down as well. But he was too angry to calm down.

"I can't believe you think I would lie to you." He shook his head and stepped away from her. "Haven't I proven over and over again that I love you? If you still don't believe that then maybe you should marry Christophe."

Fresh tears sprung to Joleena's eyes and pain was written all over her features. But Joe was hurt too. All this time he had been trying to protect her and she had been engaged to Christophe? He watched as her lips trembled and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. Or yell at her again.

So he stormed away from her, leaving her to cry by herself before he did or said anything he regretted. Joe felt like crap and his stomach was in knots. Tears burned behind his eyes but he refused to cry.

After a while of walking around aimlessly, a freeze breeze suddenly cooled his forehead. Joe looked up and realized that he had somehow found his way to an outside walkway. The view wasn't much, it just over looked a small section of the courtyard, but it was away from anyone else.

"Perfect." Joe mumbled and produced his pack of cigarettes.

He lit one up and inhaled deeply. The acidic smoke filled his lungs and he was grateful for a little physical discomfort to distract himself from the real pain he was feeling. He wished that Mr. Beauchene had brainwashed Joleena. That he could handle. But not this. Not Joleena willingly marrying another guy, not even telling him why.

Joe blew out a large cloud of smoke and finally let the tears fall from his eyes. If Joleena was willing to give up their relationship, everything that they had then fine! Joe was too young to settle down with just one girl anyway. He would just... he would just...

"No." He stubbed out his cigarette and straightened up. "I can't move on. I love her too much to let her go without a fight."

* * *

Joleena's hands trembled as she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and placed one in her mouth. Tears wouldn't stop falling from her eyes so she practically ran from the palace to find a secluded spot outside. She was so angry and heartbroken and frustrated. All Joe had to do was marry her and the contract would have been broken. Hell, a mere proposal and engagement ring would have worked!

Already the markings of a wedding contract was forming on her left ring finger. Joleena took a long draw from her cigarette and pressed the lit end against the markings. She hissed in pain, but the physical discomfort helped to distract her from the real pain she was feeling.

Joe hated her. He hated and despised her. And Joleena hated him. All the time she spent with him, cared for him, and loved him. She even gave her virginity to him. And what she get in return? Empty promises, lies, and excuses. He knew that she would have been able to take care of them. Joleena would have been happy to take care of him for the rest of his life and all he had to do was...

Another sob broke through Joleena's throat and she pulled the cigarette away. The ugly red burn lasted only for a moment before the marking reformed over it.

" _Merde."_ She whispered, burying her head in her arm. " _Merde, merde, merde."_

Joleena knew she couldn't live without Joe. She knew that from the first moment his lips touched hers and he held her in his arms. But that didn't matter anymore. Because of some stupid mistake her family made she was going to have to pay the price and marry someone she despised. And she had lost the only man she had ever really...

"Joleena?" A voice said above her.

Her heart leapt and she looked up hoping to see Joe. Instead, a broad shouldered young man with warm brown skin and golden hair stood above her. His lips were parted in a smile which made his cheeks dimple.

Joleena scowled and quickly brushed herself off. "What do you want, Christophe?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Christophe held up his left hand, showing the matching marking on his ring finger. "I've come for our wedding, my dear sweet fiance."

"Over my dead body!"

Joe strode over to them, his face filled with anger and determination.

"Joseph!" Joleena felt her heart hammer in her chest. "Joseph, I-"

"Shut up."

Joe roughly grabbed her by the waist and kissed her deeply on the mouth. Joleena practically melted in his arms and when he pulled away his eyes were burning with passion.

"I love you." He said in a low serious voice that was still partly angry. "I don't care if you believe me or not but I love you and I know you love me. And I swear, I will find out what this stupid contract is and I will end it."

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Christophe frowned and looked Joe up and down. "Now I don't know who you are, but I'll have to ask that you release my fiance."

Joe's eyes flashed to him and Joleena saw his magic spark. "Joseph, don't-"

Before Joleena could stop him, Joe thrust out his hand and fired a blast of magic directly at him. But Christophe merely smirked and held up his own hand. The green blast hit directly in his palm and absorbed into it. Still smirking, Christophe thrust his hand out to the side and fired a blast of green magic.

Joe's jaw dropped. "Wha- how?"

"I have to admit, that was a pretty strong bit of magic." Christophe chuckled and shook the remaining magic off his hand. "Now shall I show you some of my magic?"

Christophe's eyes flashed bright orange and the ground exploded into rubble around Joe and Joleena. Joe shielded her from the the debris and glared at Christophe, his eyes glowing bright green.

"Why you-"

"Halt!" Three guards stormed over to them, their magic filled weapons drawn. The head guard glowered down at them."There is no fighting on palace grounds outside of the fighting arena. Consider this your first and only warning."

Joleena touched Joe's arm and bowed low to the man. "My apologizes sir. It won't happen again."

"Yes, it was a... childish display of strength." Christophe gave him an easy smile. "We'll handle our matters in a different way next time."

The guard nodded and signaled the others to stand down. Joe sighed and waved his hand over the ground, reversing time so that the ground restored itself. The head guard nodded in approval and the three of them were left alone again. There was a breathless moment as Joe and Christophe glared at each other and Joleena wasn't sure if she wouldn't have to pull them apart herself. But then Christophe's face cleared and he resumed his easy smile.

"I have to admit Joleena, your little friend is pretty amusing." He chuckled. "But I have things to do before our wedding so I'm afraid I'll have to leave you for now."

He held out his hand for Joleena, but she clenched her fist and Joe pulled her closer to his side. Christophe's smile hardened though and when his eyes flashed, an orange glow came over Joleena's clenched fist and yanked her towards him. Christophe smirked and gently brushed his lips against the back of her hand.

"Until we meet again, _wife_." He whispered.

Joleena felt Joe's magic wrap around her waist and she was yanked back to his side again. Joe scowled at Christophe but at least he didn't retaliate. Christophe threw him a wink and then brushed past them into the palace.

Joleena let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and looked up at Joe. His lips were pressed in a tight line and his breathing was heavy. But he was here next to her and that's all she cared about right now.

"Joseph, I-"

"Don't." Joe cut her off and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. "I'm still upset with you and don't want to say anything I regret."

Joleena nodded and lowered her eyes. "I understand."

"But I also meant what I said." Joe tilted her face up to look at him. "I'm going to find out what this contract is, I'm going to find a way around it, and I'm going to prevent my vision from happening no matter what it takes."

"So there was a vision then?" Joleena whispered. "Are you sure? Not just a nightmare?"

Joe nodded grimly. "I'm sure. Otherwise, of course I would have married you as soon as I could."

Joleena's lips lifted in a small smile but she shook her head. She lifted her hand and showed him the bond marking on her ring finger. "I'm afraid it's too late _mon amour_. It's been signed and sealed."

"I don't care." Joe lowered her hand and laced their fingers together. "I will find a way. Now let's get back inside. We'll have a better chance of figuring something out during this convention with all of these other magicians."

"And don't forget your Warp Wizard test." Joleena gave him a small smile. "The Council will be here tomorrow."

"What's important now is you and me." Joe kissed her forehead. "Whether I become Warp Wizard or not, what matters to me most is that we stay together."

 **A/N- Lol, bet you thought they were going to break up didn't you. Read and review please.**


	7. New Friends and Old Friends

"You're how old?" The girl looked her up and down. "And you're just now getting your first magic license?"

"Well yeah." Anna shrugged. "But I've been time traveling since I was like eight."

"A time traveler?" She raised an eyebrow and tried to hide a smirk. "Um... that's..."

"Impressive." A soft yet husky voice supplied.

Anna turned and saw the sunglass guy from the inn sitting on the window sill next to them. The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but it's just time traveling. I heard that the normies are trying to find a way to do it with science. No magic involved at all."

"True." Sunglass guy nodded. "But what's really impressive is the fact that at eight she was able to travel through time while most spell casting girls were too self absorbed in buying love charms to get their crushes to notice them."

Anna glanced at the girl and noticed that there was in fact a heart shaped charm on her bracelet. The girl flushed in embarrassment and walked away with an angry huff.

"Thanks." Anna smiled. "That was pretty cool of you to do. I'm Anna by the way."

"Damien." He gave her a small smile then went back to reading his book.

Anna waited for him to say more but he just went on reading his book. She took a moment to study him. His face was strong and angular and the tight, long sleeved shirt he was wearing showed off the defined muscles of his arms. Suddenly he chuckled and her cheeks flamed. Had he noticed her staring at him? Again!?

"You know, it was pretty stupid of you to mention being a time traveler." He said. "You must be new here."

Anna frowned. "And just what's wrong with being a time traveler? You just said it was impressive."

"I think it is, but most of the people don't. Here time travelers are about the lowest of magicians."

"Oh yeah? And just exactly what kind of magic do you do?"

Damien's small amused smile fell instantly and he buried himself back into his book. Anna's moment of triumph was brief.

"Sorry." She mumbled. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Hurt my feelings?" Damien chuckled and his amused smirk returned. "What am I? Five?"

He turned toward her and moved over to make room for on her the window sill. She sat down, fiddling with her gems at her hip.

"So is this your first time here?" He asked turning back to his book.

Anna nodded. "Actually its my first time in the magic world completely."

Damien laughed. "No wonder why you have no social skills with these people."

"Oh really?" Anna smirked. "I'm not the one sitting by myself reading a book."

"How am I sitting by myself," He lowered his voice and leaned closer to her. "If you're sitting next to me?"

Anna felt her face warm with how close he was and could almost make out his eyes through his sunglasses. His smile grew a little before he leaned away and went back to reading his book.

* * *

San-Li was absolutely, positively, bored. The old sorceress in front of her was droning on and on about the first time she studied magic before there was even a license. San-Li had already stolen her brooch but the old bat just wouldn't shut up! Alex had ditched her a while ago and went to hang out with Sam.

Reluctantly her eyes drifted over to them. Not surprisingly Sam had found some magic wielding engineers to talk to. Sam was the most alive when he was talking about anything science, history, or technology related. His face was animated as he spoke and they seemed impressed with what he was saying.

San-Li smiled. She would give anything to be in that conversation right now. Even when the topic didn't interest San-Li personally, Sam could make anything fascinating. She used to listen to him for hours and never get bored. And he would always turn to her with that bright smile and-

"Are you even listening to me!?" The woman asked sharply. "What did I just say?"

San-Li huffed in irritation. "Hopefully that you're done wasting my time and you're about to kill someone else with boredom?"

The old bag tossed her head with a deep frown on her face. "Hmph. Normie."

The old woman finally left and San-Li breathed a sigh of relief. She rubbed the back of her sore neck. All this extravagance and magic filled air and mingling with strangers was starting to wear on her.

"I need some me time." She mumbled out loud. "I hate this place."

"Haha, I see you haven't changed much."

San-Li groaned and closed her eyes. She would know that voice anywhere. "Geez Nathan, are you following me or what?"

Nathan chuckled and walked up next to her. "Or maybe its just fate that we meet like this."

San-Li opened her eyes and found him smiling down at her. His hair was darker than the last time she saw him but his eyes shone warmly as he smiled at her. There was something else different about him too but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"You're hair's still long." Nathan nodded in approval. "I like it. It makes you look older. And sophisticated."

Despite herself, she blushed at the compliment. She cleared her throat and looked away from him. "So um, what are you doing here anyway? I thought you abdicated your Warp Wizard status."

"Since Joe might be the next Warp Wizard, the council thought it might benefit him to be mentored by the old Warp Wizard." Nathan continued to smile at her. "So I guess you'll be seeing a lot of me in the next few weeks."

San-Li narrowed her eyes. "Don't try and make friends with me. I still hate you."

Nathan actually had the nerve to chuckle. "Really now? Because the last time you saw me you hit me. I think we're making progress."

San-Li resisted the urge to hit him for real and found her eyes wandering back over to Sam. He was now sitting on a couch with Alex chatting while they ate. But then Sam glanced up towards her and she had to quickly look away again.

"Is that Sam?" Nathan asked. "That's weird. The last time I saw you two, you couldn't be separated. Are you guys fighting?"

"We split up." The words slipped out of San-Li's mouth before she could stop them. "Temporarily. Maybe. Not that its any of your business."

"Oh." Nathan nodded and suddenly looked distant. "Well I hope things work out. Now if you'll excuse me I need to find Joe. I'll see you around, Sony."

He walked away from her briskly leaving San-Li alone again. She almost hadn't realized that he called her by her old nickname. Even Fred never called her 'Sony'. Sam watched Nathan leave and then came over her with Alex trailing behind.

"Was that Nathan?" Sam asked. "What's he doing here?"

"Looking for Joe." San-Li mumbled. "And tormenting me everywhere I go."

"What was that last part?"

"Nothing."

Sam nodded and starting playing with his glasses nervously. "So um... do you want to go for a walk in the gardens? I heard it's pretty nice."

 _No thanks._ "Sure."

Again, the words got away from her before she could stop them. Sam looked surprised for a moment but then grinned.

"Come on," Sam said eagerly. "They're right this way!"

Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her towards one of the side doors that lead outside. They walked along a stone walkway that lead to a stone archway covered with ivory. A newly painted sign marked "Scented Gardens" was tacked up next to it.

"Scented huh?" Sam mumbled with a small frown. "I hope my old allergies don't flair up."

San-Li couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah, that wouldn't be very romantic."

Sam flashed her a small hopeful smile but didn't say anything further. The three of them walked into the garden with Alex running ahead excitedly, sticking his nose into the nearest flower. He sneezed profusely but then went on to the next flower.

"Alex don't wander too far!" San-Li called after him.

"He'll be fine." Sam laughed. "This garden is enclosed and we'll be right behind him."

So they continued walking at a leisurely pace while her brother ran ahead of them.

The conversation of course defaulted to their children. Sammy was beginning to show interest in books even though he couldn't read yet. Keiko was starting to have certain food preferences in both presentation and content. And both of them absolutely adored playing horsey with Alex.

But after conversation about their kids ran dry, the two of them became quiet. San-Li noticed was that Sam's hand was starting to sweat. It honestly made her smile a little. On they first date they went on Sam's hands also sweated like crazy. Sure the date had been fake on her part but it had still been nice.

And even though all that was over for the moment, for some reason San-Li couldn't let go of Sam's hand.

"I still have it." Sam said suddenly. "The pocket watch you gave me? I still have it with me if you want it back."

San-Li glanced down and noticed that there was a chain leading from Sam's pant loop to his pocket. She looked back up and found Sam watching her with a thoughtful yet sad expression on his face. San-Li looked away and shrugged.

"Why would I want it back?" She said quietly. "I gave it to you. Its yours."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "Because... you say you don't..."

"No matter what happens between us, you are the father of my children." San-Li said seriously. "And... even if we don't end up together the way you want us to... I'll always consider you a special person in my life."

Sam was silent for a long moment and she wondered what was going through his head. He then let out a long sigh and gently squeezed her hand.

"Thanks." Sam smiled. "That means a lot to me. I hope we end up together, but if we don't... it's good to hear that we'll still be together in some way."

"No problem."

They stood still for a moment, just smiling at each other and enjoying the warm summer air. But then Alex suddenly ran over to them and a shadow passed over head. They looked up and saw something large with wings flying overhead. Suddenly, it wheeled down and crashed through a window. And then they heard the screams.

* * *

It was large, black and blue with four leathery wings and burning eyes. It screeched and beat is wings, knocking over tables and chairs.

"What the heck is that thing!?" Fred yelled, shielding Fina in his arms.

"Black Volucris!" Fina yelled back. "But they're usually not found on this continent. What is it doing here!?"

The black volucris reared it's head back and fired several blasts of icy and black energy around the room. Fred tackled Fina to the ground and they narrowly avoided one of the blasts. The volucris then lifted itself into the air and began to swivel its head around the throne room. Its eyes landed on Princess Caroline who was cowering by herself against the wall.

"Caroline! No!" The queen tried to run to her daughter but the guards held her back.

"Your highness, it's not safe!"

The guards tried to subdue the volucris but it easily knocked them away with its wings and flew straight towards the young princess.

Fina didn't think, she reacted. She pushed her husband away and transformed into a cheetah, racing towards her. She snatched up the princess and got them both out of the way and the volucris crashed into the wall. It then scrambled back up and screeched at them, getting ready to attack again.

Fina transformed into a lioness and roared, ready to defend the child behind her. But then the volucris reared its head back with another screech and opened its mouth to build up another dark icy blast.

"Fina no!" Fred yelled and started to run towards them.

But before he could reach them, a golden figure crashed through the window next to Fina. The figure was covered in silver and golden armor and carried a large, shining sword. Their visor was down making it impossible to see their face.

The volucris snapped its head towards the golden figure and unleashed its dark icy blast. The figure deflected the blast with their sword and it hit the volucris's wing, freezing it on impact. The volucris screeched in angry and starting flailing around wildly. The figure ran towards it, leapt in the air, and thrust their sword into the volucris's neck. A bright light erupted from the sword and the volucris was obliterated, exploding into icy vapor.

The figure straightened up and turned towards Fina and the princess. The figure then took off their helmet revealing messy, sandy brown hair and gentle golden eyes. Fina was so stunned she transformed back into her human form.

"Andrew?" She whispered breathlessly.

"Fina?" He smiled at her and his eyes warmed even more. "It is you Fina. You came back."

 **A/N- Finally some action. Also, if case you've forgotten Andrew is Fina's first love and the guy she was supposed to marry back in _The Price of Immortality._ As always read and review please **


	8. Family Reunion

**A/N- Quick note, I'll be updating a lot less frequently because I need to work on my art more. But please enjoy this chapter and leave a review :)**

Fina stared up at him, her heart pounding in her throat. The same smiling lips, the same messy, sandy brown hair, and the same look of adoration coming from those beautiful golden eyes. His smile grew as he looked down as he looked down at her and he offered his hand to her.

"Fina," He chuckled lightly. "I can't believe it's really-"

"Adrian!" Princess Caroline ran from behind her and leapt into his arms.

Adrian? Fina blinked in confusion and took a closer look. The eyes, mouth, and hair were the same, but the nose and jawline were different. A mixture of relief and disappointment washed over her. He may have looked just like him, but he wasn't Andrew.

"Fina!" Fred ran over and roughly grabbed her shoulders. "What were you thinking!? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Fina tore her eyes away from Adrian/Andrew and looked at her husband. His eyes were wide with anxiety and Fina felt just the smallest twinge of irritation. Hadn't she already proven that she could fight back at the island? But instead of saying that she forced herself to smile.

"I'm sorry," She said softly. "But I had to do something. I couldn't just stand by-"

Fred groaned in irritation and helped her stand up. "I know you're used to doing crap like this, but there's like, a hundred magicians here. Maybe next time let one of them handle things."

"Alright…" Fina's eyes drifted past him to the mysterious golden knight. He was holding Princess Caroline in his arms while Queen Roxanne hugged them both tightly and the scene reminded her so much of that time so many, many years ago that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

The king re-entered the throne room with a few of the lords and looked around at mess in confusion. One of the guards briefly explained what happened and King Apollo actually burst out laughing. He strode over to him and clapped him on the back.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and magicians of the court," He called out proudly. "I present to you all, my son, the golden knight of Syrania, Prince Adrian!"

The room burst into cheers and applaud. Prince Adrian waved bashfully to acknowledge them, but his eyes lingered on Fina again.

"Hey I see Joe and the others," Fred said. "And… Joe and Joleena look pretty upset about something."

Fina looked over and saw that Fred was right. Joleena's eyes were red and there was strain all over Joe's features. Joe's eyes met hers and she used their mind connection to speak to him.

 _Sir, are you alright?_

 _No,_ even in her head Joe's voice was tight. _What happened? Are you and Fred alright?_

 _I'll come over and explain._

"Come on," Fina laced her fingers through Fred's. "Let's go fill them in on what happened."

They walked over towards them and Sam, San-Li, and Alex met them there as well.

"What the heck happened?" Sam asked. "We saw something fly through the window and then we heard screaming."

"It was a, what do you call it, a black volucris?" Fred looked at Fina who nodded in confirmation. "Anyway, it flew through the window and just started attacking. That Prince Adrian guy was the one who finished it off."

Joe nodded and looked around the throne room. "Where's Anna?"

"I'm right here." Anna quickly came over to them, picking bits of glass out of her hair.

Joleena gasped and caught her hands up her hers. " _Ma cherie_ are you alright? You're covered in glass!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. That thing crashed through the window next to us. Damien shielded me from most of it, but then he just disappeared-"

"Damien?" Joe frowned. "Who's Damien?"

"A friend." Anna said quickly and took a closer look at Joleena. "Hey, are you alright? You look like you've been crying."

"I, um, have a bit of a problem," Joleena said quietly.

"Joleena's family apparently entered her in a marriage contract and we need to find a way to break it before next week." Joe said tightly. "Fina? Do you know anything about marriage contracts?"

Fina bit her lip in thought. "Well I know they're loaded with a lot of conditions, so maybe there's a loop hole we can exploit?"

"There was one." Joleena said quietly, shooting a look at Joe. "But unfortunately that loop hole doesn't exist anymore."

"If there's one then there's probably another one." Fina said. "What exactly is your magic contract?"

Joleena sighed and toyed with her left ring finger. "The contract was that if I was unmarried or not engaged by my twenty-first birthday, I would be officially bond and betrothed to marry my ex-boyfriend Christophe. That time has passed and so the marriage bond has already begun."

She held out her hand and showed everyone the bond markings forming on her left ring finger. The black marks twisted together to form a half completed ring around her finger. San-Li examined them and pressed her lips together in thought.

"These look similar to the markings Sam had when I first made that bond with him." She mused out loud. "And that bond went away when I bonded to Joe, so maybe..."

Joe shook his head. "Can't. I keep having this vision that anything to do with Joleena and a wedding will end up in flames. Literally."

"Maybe there's someone here who specializes in magic contracts?" Anna suggested with a shrug. "Maybe some kind of magic lawyer?"

Joleena gave a small hopeful smile. "My father's clerk Jasper is well versed in the area of magic contracts and bonds. But he works father, he wouldn't go behind his back and tell me how to break the contract."

"But it's worth a shot." Joe grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go find him."

* * *

They left the others and walked around the throne room looking for Jasper. Joe had all but forgotten the reason they were in Syrania in the first place. All that mattered to him was making sure that his vision didn't come true and more importantly make sure that Joleena didn't marry that jerk Christophe.

"Joe, slow down!" Anna complained. "Everyone is looking at us weird."

Joe slowed his pace but didn't turn around. "Why are you even tagging along? This has nothing to do with you."

"Anything that involves Joleena has to do with me." She said stubbornly. "I care about her too."

"Not the same way that I do."

"That doesn't matter I still care about her and I want to help."

"Well don't. I have it covered."

"You can't order me not to help Joleena!"

"Yes I can, you'll just get in the way!"

"No, I won't!"

"Yes, you will!"

"Won't!"

"Will!"

"Both of you stop it!" Joleena interrupted. "Look, I appreciate the fact that you both care about me, but fighting won't solve anything."

Joe and Anna looked at each other and shared a small smile. "Sorry. It's sort of a habit between us."

"I can tell." Joleena looked around the throne room and sighed. "I don't see him. He must have gone to my father's private rooms."

"Then we'll just wait here for him until he comes back."

"If he comes back."

"Joleena stop it." Joe grabbed her hands and squeezed them. "I know you're scared but we'll figure things out."

Joleena's shoulders deflated a little, but she returned Joe's smile and nodded.

"Is that my favorite niece and nephew I see?"

Joe looked up and saw Uncle Joe coming towards them with a large smile on his face. He was still lean and his mustache was still curly with more than one gray hair in it. Joe felt a mixture of emotions just looking at him. Annoyance, sadness, and even a little bit of happiness. Anna grinned and ran into his open arms.

"I'm so glad you made it!" She cried happily. "I wasn't sure if you would get my messages."

"Yes, well Joleena was insistent that I be here to mark this special occasion." Uncle Joe released Anna and looked her up and down. "I can't believe that you've grown into such a lovely young lady. Do I have your tutor to thank for that?"

Joleena chuckled. "But of course. Who else could take an over excited twelve year old into a refine young lady?"

The three of them laughed and Uncle Joe turned to look at Joe. "And I see you've turned my beloved nephew into a refined gentleman. How are you Joseph?"

"Um, good, good." Joe cleared his throat awkwardly and held out his hand. "It's good to see you again Uncle Joe."

Uncle Joe sighed sadly but continued to smile and shook Joe's outstretched hand. Anna shot him a look of disapproval but he ignored her.

"Joleena actually told me that you were about to become the Warp Wizard." Uncle Joe said cheerfully. "So I was wondering if you and I could have a small talk? Just like old times? You can catch me up on all I've been missing all these years."

"No…I'm sorta busy."

Joe quickly let go of his hand and stepped close to Joleena to emphasize his point. But now Joleena was giving him a small frown of disapproval. He gave the slightest shake of his head to tell her that he wasn't ready, but she raised an eyebrow and her lips tightened ever so slightly. Joe sighed in defeat, knowing that he just lost their silent argument.

"Actually, I have a little bit of time." He smiled at him.

"Marvelous! Let's give the women some space so we can have a good old fashion man to man talk!" Uncle Joe grinned and threw an arm around Joe's shoulders, leading him away from Joleena and Anna.

The two of them made their way to a vacant window seat and as they walked Joe noticed that he had grown almost as tall as his uncle. The thought made him inexplicably sad. And when they sat down Joe also noticed that Uncle Joe's knees shook a little. Just how old was he? Had that much time had passed since they saw each other?

"So," Uncle Joe groaned as he settled into the window seat. "It's been so long since I've laid eyes on you. Tell me everything."

Joe shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, there's nothing much to tell. I met Fina some years ago after we stopped…um, after I stopped using The Book and she's been training me ever since."

"You're finally learning how to use your Warp Wizard magic!?" Uncle Joe leaned in excitedly. "How far have you gotten? Can you warp freely now?"

"Sorta." Joe smiled a little. "She wants me to learn more basic time magic before we warp on a regular basis, but I'm getting pretty good at the out journey. The Book still has a tendency to go AWOL."

Uncle Joe chuckled. "Ah yes, it does have a mind of its own sometimes. I remember it left me stranded in 16th century Switzerland. That was a rather sticky situation."

Joe couldn't help but laugh. He had to admit it, he had missed talking to his uncle like this. Not that they talked that much when he was a kid, but no matter what mood Joe had been in, talking to his uncle had always made him laugh.

"So nephew, you and Miss Beauchene seem pretty well acquainted." Uncle Joe's smile became more teasing. "Is there something on the more romantic than friendship going on between you two?"

Joe's smile fell. "Yeah we're pretty serious but… something complicated has come up."

"I take it you mean her upcoming marriage?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"

"The whole court is buzzing with the news. It's supposed to be a pretty spectacular event."

Joe scowled. "Not if I have anything to say about it. There's no way I'm letting my girlfriend marry some creep."

Uncle Joe laughed. "I see you've inherited the Arthur men's sense of determination. Did you know your mother turned your father down three times before she finally said yes?"

"Well Joleena isn't saying no to me she's stuck in some marriage contract." Joe sighed. "And I need to figure out how to break it and break it soon before something terrible happens."

His uncle smiled and patted his hand. "I know you will Joe. You've always been a very capable young man."

"Thanks." Joe quickly blinked back tears. "It's good to… I'm sorry we haven't… that I haven't."

"I understand." Uncle Joe nodded. "So are you prepared to present yourself in front of the Grand Magic Council?"

"No." He grimaced. "With everything happening with Joleena… ugh, the whole marriage thing threw me off guard and Joleena's my whole world. Right now I just want to focus on her. I can always become Warp Wizard next year or the year after that."

"Or you can be Warp Wizard now." Uncle Joe lowered his voice and leaned closer. "The Beauchenes and the Eadburts are two powerful families who love power and prestige. Joe the time traveler may not be enough to sway Mr. Beauchene but perhaps Joe the Warp Wizard could."

"You think that will work?" Joe leaned forwardly eagerly. "Because Mr. Beauchene doesn't like me much and he seemed dead set on me not marrying his daughter."

"Tell you what nephew, you work on becoming the Warp Wizard and I'll look into this marriage contract." Uncle Joe's eyes sparked mischievously. "I think I can still work my way through magic lingo."

"You'd do that for me?" Joe ran his fingers through his hair. "Thanks that would help a lot."

"Of course nephew." Uncle Joe smiled fondly. "It's the least I can do for you. I haven't been around nearly as much as I should have."

Before Joe could think of a response Uncle Joe's pen flew out of his pocket and wrote the current time in midair as well as some foreign symbols. Uncle Joe sighed and stood up.

"I'm sorry to cut this talk short, Joe but I'm afraid I have a prior engagement to get to. Will I see you at the opening ball tonight? It's supposed to be quite magnificent."

Joe shrugged and stood up. "Well this is the first I'm hearing about it, but probably. So... yeah, see you later."

Joe held out his hand again but Uncle Joe pulled him into a tight hug. "Goodbye for now dear nephew. And I hope to be of better service to you than I have in the past."

Once again Joe felt tears sting his eyes and he hugged him tightly. "Thanks uncle Joe."


	9. Research

**A/N- Check out the poll on my profile page :)**

"Okay Alex," San-Li said. "This is a D note on an A string. Watch and listen."

She arranged her fingers on the neck of the violin and ran the bow across the strings. She played the note out long and slow so Alex could really hear it. The two of them had left the palace a while ago to grab a real meal at a nearby tavern and then headed back to the inn. Right now they were sitting on her bed while she tried teaching him the violin.

"And this," She said rearranging her fingers slightly differently. "Is an E note on an A string."

She ran the bow across the violin again and the note rang out loud and clear. "Hear the difference?"

Alex shrugged half-heartedly.

San-Li tried not to look too disappointed. She could feel and hear every vibrations from the strings but then again she had been trained in music since she was four.

"That's okay, it takes a while to learn." She held the violin out to him. "Wanna try?"

Alex hesitantly reached a hand out, but then withdrew it and shook his head. San-Li sighed. "Words Alex."

"Can I go see what Sam's doing?" He asked. "He has really cool stuff on his tablet."

"I told you he's probably getting ready for this ball thing tonight." San-Li mumbled, putting away her violin. "And I don't want you bothering him during this trip. He's going to be really busy doing a lot of research and experimenting."

"Sam says I never bother him." Alex mumbled under his breath.

San-Li smiled. Her little brother was finally beginning to become verbal and he always used his new found skills to talk back to her. His voice was still soft though from under use and he became hoarse if he spoke for more than a minute or two.

Glancing at the window, she saw that the stars were beginning to come out. Their room didn't face the palace but she could see the lights shining on the grass. Seemed like the ball was about to begin. Which meant that it was just about time for her to get to work. She hopped off the bed and headed over to her luggage. She pulled out a pair of dark blue pants and a dark t shirt and headed into the bathroom to change. The clothes were tight fitting so she could move around easily and dark enough so she could blend into the shadows.

"Okay Alex," She said coming out the bathroom. "In about an hour or so I'm going to sneak into the palace's library and see if I can find any books on time dragons."

She glanced behind her and saw Alex giving her a confused look.

"Joe's a moron." San-Li scoffed. "I'm not going to go around asking random magicians how do I tame my time dragon brother. If I'm doing this, I'm going to do this without people knowing."

Alex just shrugged and flopped back onto her bed.

"So you're going to stay here and not leave this room for anything. Got it?"

Alex shot up and made an angry noise.

"I mean it, Alex." San-Li threw him a serious look. "As far as we know no one knows who you are or where you are and I want to keep it that way. So no wandering around. And if something does happen, what do you do?"

Alex rolled his eyes and pulled out a small silver whistle from under his shirt. San-Li had it made to sound a custom note that she would be able to hear anywhere and come running. Alex stuffed the whistle back under his shirt and continued to scowl at her.

San-Li rolled her eyes. "I don't care if your annoyed with me little brother. At least you'll be around to be annoyed."

There was a knocking at the door and San-Li cringed. She knew it'd only be a matter of time until he came looking for her. Again. Probably wanted to ask her to the ball like it was prom or something.

"Coming, coming." She said when the knocking persisted. "Hold your horses, Sam."

But when San-Li opened the door, it was Nathan standing on the other side. He smiled at her and San-Li had to force herself not to smile back.

"Joe's room is a few doors over." San-Li said. "And if he's not there then he's at the ball already."

"Actually I was here to see you." Nathan said quickly before she could close the door.

San-Li rose an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just to talk to you I guess." His eyes briefly traveled over her. "I take it you're not going to the ball tonight?"

San-Li smirked. "Does it look I'm dressed for some fancy ball?"

She leaned in the doorway, arranging her body in such a way to show off how her clothes hugged the curves of her body. Nathan's eyes lingered over her hips and traveled up to her chest before he looked away with a small blush.

"N-no. Not really." He stammered.

San-Li felt a bit of pride and triumph. The last time she saw Nathan she had been a flat chested ten year old girl ogling him. Now he was ogling her and she made that insufferable care free smile of his disappear. But then his eyes met hers again and she found something other than mirth in them. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn it was…

Alex cleared his throat loudly making San-Li jump.

"Anyways," She quickly straightened up. "I'm about to head out so I don't have time to talk to you. And even if I did have time I wouldn't talk to you. Now leave."

"You're breaking into the palace aren't you?"

San-Li quickly stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. She met Nathan's playful smirk with a dark smirk of her own.

"I wouldn't say that too loudly if I were you." She kept her voice low and eased a dagger down her sleeve. "We wouldn't want anyone to raise any alarms do we?"

Nathan's smirk grew and he leaned closer. "It would be a shame if I made things more difficult for you, wouldn't it?"

In one quick motion San-Li thrust her dagger upwards, but Nathan shot forward in the same second. He grabbed her wrists with his large hands and pinned one wrist above her head and the other one by her side, completely pinning her to the door. There was a soft clank as her dagger fell from her hand and landed on the floor. Nathan chuckled and leaned in close to her, his eyes sparking mischievously.

"You forgot that I have ten years on you, Sony." He said in a low teasing voice. "Which means I have more training than you."

San-Li opened her mouth to retort, but found herself speechless. Her chest heaved with every breath and all she could feel was how close Nathan's body was to hers. Nathan's eyes drifted down to her lips and slowly started to lean forward.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat. "Is everything alright, San-Li?"

San-Li and Nathan looked up and saw Sam standing in the hallway frowning at them. Nathan gave him a breezy smile and stepped away from San-Li.

"I was just showing her some of my old moves." He said easily. "No harm done. Just good fun between old friends."

"Oh really?" Sam shot Nathan another glare and gently took San-Li's hands in his. He turned her wrists up revealing slowly darkening bruises where Nathan had grabbed her. "No harm done huh?"

San-Li rolled her eyes and pulled her arms out of Sam's grip. "It's not that serious, Sam. I just bruise easily, you know that."

Nathan chuckled. "Yeah. One time when we were kids we rolled down this grassy hill and-"

"Yeah, yeah I came home covered with bruises and my grandfather almost killed you." San-Li finished impatiently and leaned closed to Sam to talk to him privately. "Do you mind hanging with Alex for me? I have to… quietly gather information."

Sam nodded. "Sure. Whatever you need. Just be careful, okay?"

"She'll be fine. I'll be with her." Nathan spoke up.

"No. You won't."

Sam and San-Li spoke at the same time and gave each other a look. San-Li shook her head and opened her room door, letting Sam inside.

"Sam!" Alex leapt of the bed and ran into his arms.

Sam hugged him back and ruffled his hair. San-Li smiled and gently closed the door. When she turned around again Nathan was giving her that insufferable smile again. He held out his arm and flashed his teeth.

"Shall we?" He said.

San-Li pressed her lips together to suppress her smile and briskly walked down the hall. She heard Nathan give a soft laugh and he followed after her.

* * *

Because of the convention and the relative closeness of the inn, security was tight around the palace. So even though it took twice as long, San-Li went the long way and crept up from the base of the hill at a blind spot near the river. Nathan stayed close behind her the entire time.

"Wow, you're pretty quick for an old man." San-Li whispered. "I'm surprised you were able to keep up with me."

Nathan gave her a mock pout. "I'm not that old, Sony."

San-Li chuckled and started to use her daggers to scale up the wall. She was almost to the top when she felt something whoosh by her and suddenly Nathan was kneeling on top of the wall above her.

"How did you-"

Nathan smiled and gestured to the staff on his back. "Pole vaulting. I learned it from my time in the Netherlands."

He held out his hand and San-Li reluctantly took it. Once she was at the top she gestured towards the window she had purposely rigged to remain unlocked. They hallway was pretty much abandoned but you could hear the music from the ball downstairs.

"Do you still dance?" Nathan asked.

"Recreationally." San-Li muttered. "To entertain my kids."

Nathan smiled. "Maybe you could dance for me sometime?"

"Will you go away!?" San-Li hissed, feeling her cheeks flame. "You're supposed to be here for Joe remember?"

"Things changed." He whispered softly. "A lot of things changed."

"Well I haven't." San-Li pushed past him and headed in the direction where she thought the library was.

"Um, the library is this way, Sony." Nathan gestured in the opposite direction.

San-Li swore under her breath and changed directions making sure to shoulder Nathan out of her way. They were silent as they walked, sticking close to the shadows. After a while, they came to a set of two large doors made out of white wooden doors.

The library. Luckily it was unguarded which made getting in all the easier. Inside was huge, almost as big as the public library in Brooklyn. Several catalog books stood on stands scattered around the massive room.

"I don't know where to even start." San-Li mumbled. "I can't use the catalog books because it'll keep records of what I'm searching."

"I can erase it." Nathan suggested. "A simple localized time reversal will clear any recent search."

San-Li nodded and headed over to the nearest book. "Search time dragons."

The catalog remained blank and unresponsive.

"Um… search dragons?"

The book still remained unresponsive making San-Li huff in frustration.

Nathan cleared his throat and stepped up beside her. " _Libris in tempore draconum_."

The pages of the catalog finally started to glow as the words appeared. There was a small gust of wind and several books flew off the shelves, landing in their arms.

"Thanks." San-Li grunted.

"No problem." Nathan laughed. "Did you seriously forget how to speak Latin?"

"I never learned." She mumbled heading over to a nearby table. "Now stop talking to me. I have a lot of reading to do."

"I think I'll stay." Nathan smiled and sat across from her. "Two minds are better than one."

San-Li rolled her eyes and got down to reading.

 _Back long ago before the magic world was divided into kingdoms and providences, dragons roamed around freely. When humans first started to learn magic they lived in harmony with dragons, blah, blah, blah…._

San-Li skipped the first few chapters until she found something more relevant.

 _After Warp Wizard's Cryno's untimely death and the complete annihilation of the one third of the universe, the remaining original Magic Council, the Master of Time, and the Dragon King choose an infant child and sealed within him the powers of time and dragon to form the first Time Dragon._

The chapter went on to explain what the duties of the time dragon, which was basically to be the warp wizard's last resort and secret weapon. Turns out destroying and resetting time wasn't the time dragon's only weapon. It could also shoot blasts of fiery time magic, had deadly claws and teeth, and it may even be able to time travel. The last part was more like a theory but it held an incredibly interesting idea.

But unfortunately that was where the information of time dragons ended for this book. San-Li reached for the next book and was just starting to read it when Nathan suddenly spoke.

"You have changed, by the way." He said softly.

San-Li glanced up and found him smiling at her. "What?"

"You said you haven't changed, but you have." Nathan continued. "You're... older. More mature. Not as, what's the word-"

"Psychotic?" San-Li suggested dryly.

"Frantic." Nathan finished with a small laugh. "It's refreshing actually. I supposed we have Sam to thank for that?"

San-Li narrowed her eyes and went back to her book.

"I have a life of my own outside of Sam you know." She said tightly. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them away. "I'm my own person with my own personality, not just some female counterpart to him. And he doesn't make me. I make me."

Nathan reached out and laid his hand on top of hers. She glanced up and found him staring deep into her eyes. His eyes were more hazel than green now and his gaze smoldered.

"I know you're different." Nathan said. "You've always been different. Out of all the men, women, and children I met throughout all of history, I've never met a single entity like you."

Tears spilled onto San-Li's cheeks but she couldn't tear herself away from his fixed stare. And when Nathan closed the distance over the table, San-Li didn't pull away.


	10. Dance With Me?

The ballroom was even larger and grander than the throne room. The golden tiles were polished so brightly that they reflected the dancers on the floor. Warm yellow lights hung from the ceiling like miniature suns. An orchestra of musicians filled the room with music while several fountains of wine and champagne stood on the sides of the room.

Fina wore a white dress with sky blue accents and detached sleeves with ruffles. Her hair was straightened and pulled back into a French twist. Fred wore a black suit with a light blue tie to match.

"Remind me why you wanted to match again?" Fred asked with a small smile.

"I thought it would be cute." Fina giggled. "Sometimes San-Li dresses the twins in matching outfits."

"Well that's because they're two and can't take her in a fight yet."

"Fred, the twins are three. Their birthday was last month remember?"

"Whatever, I still think it's kinda dorky." Fred chuckled and held his hand out to her. "Wanna dance, Angel?"

Fina smiled and took his hand. "Of course, husband."

He pulled her onto the dance floor and into his arms. Fina sighed happily and let Fred lead her in small circles. Neither of them were the best at dancing but Joleena had made them take ballroom dancing lessons for their wedding.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." Fred said quietly. "I was just scared of you getting hurt. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."

"You won't lose me." Fina smiled. "I can take care of myself. I've done it for thousands of years."

"As an immortal healer." Fred pointed out. "Which you aren't anymore, remember?"

Fina frowned. "We've had this argument before Fred. San-Li wasn't a healer and she took care of herself."

"But San-Li doesn't do dangerous crap anymore because she has a family. Like we're trying to have remember? Maybe you should think about doing the same."

Fina's frown deepened and she stopped dancing. "I told you already I'm not leaving Joe so please stop asking me that."

Fred gave her a weary smile and pulled her back into his arms. "Would it help if I offered to substitute? San-Li's been training me."

Feeling irritated, Fina didn't answer and tried pulling away from him, but he only tightened his hold on her and kept them dancing.

"You're so cute when you think you're stronger than me." He chuckled. "And you're even cuter when you're mad."

"I'm not mad I'm just… frustrated." She mumbled. "Sometimes I think you treat me like a child."

"I treat you like my wife who I'm trying to take care of." Fred's voice tightened ever so slightly. He then sighed and kissed her forehead. "Let's stop fighting and enjoy this vacation okay?"

"Okay." Fina sighed and smiled up at him.

They continued dancing in slow circles, the air between them a little less tense. Fina knew it was pointless to argue with her husband. Once Fred had an idea in his head, it was nearly impossible to get it out again. And his hero complex only made him the more protective.

But that's what Fina loved about him. He was so strong and protective and always put others before himself. She smiled in contentment and laid her head on his chest as they continued to dance. He was wearing the cologne she bought him and it smelled wonderful.

Fred chuckled and laid his cheek against the top of her head. "Wanna get out of here and head back to our room? Or maybe head to the gardens for some…alone time?"

Fina's cheeks heated up in mild embarrassment, but she nodded with a small giggle. They stopped dancing and started to move off the dance floor.

"I hope you aren't leaving already."

Fina froze and her heart skipped a beat. They turned around and saw Prince Adrian. He was wearing a white and gold suit with shoulder tassels, and a braided gold and silver circlet on his head.

Prince Adrian smiled at Fred. "I'm hope you don't find me rude, but I was hoping to ask your friend for a dance."

"Wife." Fred corrected, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Fina's my wife."

"And you two make a lovely couple." Prince Adrian never faltered and continued to smile. "In any case your wife saved my sister's life and I owe her more than a simple thank you. Do you mind if I honor her with a dance?"

Fred looked at him and for a hopeful second Fina thought he would say no. But to her surprise he shrugged.

"Sure. I guess one dance won't hurt."

Prince Adrian grinned and before Fina could think of some excuse, any excuse, not to dance with him, he grabbed her hand and swept her back onto the dance floor. She looked over her shoulder at Fred, hoping to see some jealousy, but he was making his way to the banquet table.

Prince Adrian held her tightly against him and they moved fluidly around the dance floor, more fluidly than her and Fred had been dancing moments earlier. People were also watching them, whispering to each other.

"I know who you are." Prince Adrian said quietly.

Fina started. "What?"

"I know who you are." He repeated with a smile. "I've heard all the stories about you. The palace is full of them."

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure you're mistaken, your highness." Fina gave him a bland, distant smile. "But this is my first time here."

Prince Adrian twirled her and drew her close again. "You don't have to pretend with me. I know all about you, Fina. Or should I call you the White Cat of Syrania?"

Fina gasped. "How did you know that?"

"Careful." Prince Adrian lowered his voice. "People are watching us."

Fixing a bland smile back on her face, she spoke in a lower voice. "What have you heard about me and where did you hear it?"

"Stories." Prince Adrian's eyes shone excitedly. "Passed on through my uncle and grandfather. Stories about how you traveled with Warp Wizard Xa'ma and how you two saved Syrania. Did you really take on thirty soldiers single handedly?"

"It was only twenty-three." Fina shrugged modestly. "And I wouldn't say I took them on. I just slipped some herbs in their food that made them sleep in a little."

Prince Adrian laughed and dipped her low. "That's amazing! I can't believe I'm actually talking to you."

Fina found herself smiling, warm from his praise. Andrew used to praise her all the time for her bravery and her stealth. But when Prince Adrian brought her back up she glanced over his shoulder and found her husband watching them. He didn't look angry though. In fact he looked amused seeing them dance together.

But now Fina felt guilty. She shouldn't be enjoying dancing with another man so much. So as soon as the set of music ended Fina stepped away from Prince Adrian and bowed to him.

"Thank you for honoring me with a dance, your highness." She said sweetly. "But if you'll excuse me, I think my husband is waiting for me."

"Come riding with me tomorrow." Prince Adrian pleaded, grabbing her hands. "We'll ride across the kingdom and you can show me what's changed since you were last here. And maybe tell me about your life?"

His golden eyes were bright and he was bighting his lower lip. He was staring at her like she was some long lost mythical hero come to life.

"Maybe." Fina relented a little. "I would have to check with my husband first though."

"Of course." Prince Adrian kissed her hands. "I shall release you then and bid you goodnight, White Cat."

Fina bowed low and stayed down until Prince Adrian walked away. She straightened up again just as Fred came back over.

"You looked like you two were having fun out there." He smiled. "And I'm glad he didn't stomp all over your toes like I did."

"Oh stop, you dance just as well as I do." Fina sighed and peeped up at him. "Can we go back to our room now? I can use some quality time with my husband."

Fred grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Of course, Angel. How can I deny someone as beautiful as you?"

Beautiful. Fred always called her beautiful. Or sweet or kind or funny. And he always called her his angel. His sweet, innocent, kind angel.

"Hey," Fred gave her a gentle squeeze. "You alright? You spaced out again."

"I'm fine." Fina said quickly. "I'm just a little tired, I guess."

They walked out of the palace and headed back to their inn. Fred looked down at her, scrutinizing her face under the moon light.

"Are you sure? You've been tired and spacey ever since we got here. Wait-" Fred stopped walking and stared at her. "Are you-?"

"No." Fina shook her head. "I'm not."

"But last month you said you might have been."

"I told you I was wrong." Fina started walking again. "And I wasn't pregnant then and I'm not now."

"Sorry, sorry." Fred hurriedly caught up with her. "I know I'm not supposed to keep asking you, but I'm just excited for us to start a family soon."

Once they were in their room, Fred quickly shed his suit jacket and let it fall to the floor. He sat on the bed and Fina knelt on the floor to help take off his shoes.

"You know, San-Li thinks we should wait before having kids." She said quietly.

"San-Li is a brat and stupid." Fred frowned. "I don't get why you always have to listen to her."

"We were just talking." Fina mumbled. "And I so don't always listen to her. I married you remember?"

"Yeah I remember."

Fred pulled her up and sat her in his lap so he could unzip her dress. He went slowly, kissed along her exposed back as he went. Fina sighed at the feeling of his lips. She pulled off her sleeves and let the rest of the dress fall away her.

"Are you still feeling tired?" He whispered against her ear, sending chills down her spine.

"Not real- Eee!"

She squealed as Fred suddenly grabbed her around the waist, spun her off his lap and threw her onto the bed. Fred laughed and fell onto the bed next to her. His dress shirt was unbuttoned revealing his toned chest and abs. Fina couldn't help but slid her hand inside, feeling his firm muscles.

"So what were you two talking about?" Fred yawned. "You and that prince guy."

Fina moved closer to him and began placing warm, moist kisses across his chest, hoping to distract him. She didn't know exactly why, but she really didn't want to have to explain things to Fred. Because if she started, he might find out about Andrew and parts of her life she never told him before.

Thankfully Fred moaned and turned out the light, ending any conversation for the rest of the night.

 **A/N- I figured I might as well post this. Read and Review please**


	11. Powerful Families

Joleena tried to get out of bed but Joe wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back in. He pulled her to his bare chest and nuzzled her neck.

"Joseph," Her protests turned into a shuddering moan as he began kissing her shoulders. "Joseph, stop. We're going to be late."

"We're already late." Joe muttered against her skin. "What's another hour?"

Joleena turned to give him a look so he sighed and sat up.

"You think they'll call off the marriage contract if you were pregnant?" He mused. "It would be a huge scandal to be pregnant with one guy's baby and engaged to another."

Joleena gave a small smile. "I think I would need a few months head start for that, Joseph."

Joe smiled back and let his hand glow with his magic. "I think I can manage that with a little acceleration spell."

"We both now that's _très dangereux_." Joleena sighed and took out a cigarette. "Besides, daddy and Sir Eadburt would just claim its Christophe's child and discredit you."

Joe shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Joleena smoked quietly for a while with the blanket wrapped around her bare hips. Joe watched her and felt himself crave a cigarette but he still didn't want her to know he smoked. So instead he got up and started getting dressed. He didn't care anymore about any stupid pretenses so he moved all his stuff into Joleena's room.

"Uncle Joe thinks I should focus on becoming Warp Wizard." He said. "He said it might give me a better chance with Mr. Beauchene."

"Hmn, maybe."

Joleena's tone was dismissive, making Joe frown. "You are taking this seriously aren't you? You don't want to marry Christophe right?"

Joleena put out her cigarette and stood up, completely nude. But for once Joe wasn't distracted. Instead he focused on her face which was completely passive. She started getting dressed in silence without answering.

"Joleena, why aren't you answering me?"

"Because I'm thinking." Joleena chewed her lip. "I might be able to convince the king to postpone the wedding until after the convention. It'll buy us more time at least."

"That's a good idea." Joe zipped up her dress. "The more time we have the better."

Joleena nodded and sat in front of the makeup stand to finish her hair and makeup. Once she was finished she stared at her reflection for a long moment.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "This trip was supposed to be about you and Anna but instead it has become about me and my stupid family."

"Don't apologize." Joe leaned down and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "If anyone should apologize it's your father for putting you through this."

Joleena sighed and closed her eyes. "He isn't the only one who came up with the contract. My mother had a hand in it too as well as my grandmother."

"Sounds like your whole family is trying to run your life."

" _Oui._ It is traditional that the first born daughter suffers under her forbearers. If I had been a boy life would have been simpler if less glamorous."

Joe gave a dry chuckle at that and helped her to her feet. He held his arm out to her and they headed to the ball together.

* * *

Anna's partner spun her around the ballroom in dizzying circles. He was a pretty good looking guy with ice blond hair and striking features. But his hand kept drifting lower down the small of Anna's back and it was starting to get on her nerves.

The current set of music ended and she quickly put some distance between them, but when a new set started, he held out his hand again.

"Shall we dance again, Anna?" He asked.

"Um, actually-"

"Ahem," Another guy cleared his throat and stepped next to her. "I believe I claimed the next dance."

The first guy frowned at the new comer. "My apologizes but I don't believe ever gave my consent for you to dance with her."

Anna rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say that she didn't need anyone's consent when she spotted a tall shape in the corner. She immediately forgot about the other two guys and went over to him. Damien was standing near a window, half hidden by a tall pillar, watching the people on the dance floor. He was wearing a suit and of course his ever present sunglasses.

"I thought you said you didn't do dances." She teased lightly.

Damien's eyes flickered briefly towards her from under his sunglasses and he looked back out onto the dance floor. "I'm not here to dance. I'm meeting someone."

Anna's shoulders fell a little but she forced her face to remain blank. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to get an audience with the king about…something personal." He mumbled.

"Oh."

Anna was curious as to what Damien could possibly need to talk to the king about, but she could see by how rigid his body was it would be best not to push further. She didn't move away from him though and stood close by watching the rest of the dancers and minglers. After a few moments, Damien began to get restless and his mouth tightened.

"Don't you have any suitors to dance with?" He asked impatiently. "What are you standing around me for?"

Anna frowned at his nasty tone. "Well excuse me, but you don't own this area. I can stand here if I want to."

"Ugh, you're such a pain!"

"And you're a total jerk!"

Damien scoffed and turned his attention back to the court so Anna did the same. She spotted her bother and Joleena enter the room and both their faces looked weary. She felt bad for them really. She had known that Joleena wanted Joe to propose for a while now, and Anna almost expected that he would eventually, but she never knew that Joleena had a marriage contract looming over her.

Anna gave her a small wave and Joleena headed over to her.

" _Bonjour ma cherie,_ " Joleena kissed her on both cheeks. "You look lovely. Who is your friend?"

"Him?" Anna glanced at Damien and frowned. "He's not my-"

"Damien, ma'am." Damien stepped forward and bowed. "It is an honor to meet you Miss Beauchene. I've read some of your work. Your essay on _The Magic of Darkness and Light_ was very insightful."

" _Merci Beaucoup._ You have very nice tastes, Damien." Joleena smiled and tilted her head to study him. "Have we met before? You look very familiar."

Damien turned away quickly. "Um, no. I don't believe so."

"Are you sure?" Joleena persisted. "I swear we must have met at a conference or a banquet or something."

Damien's face flushed and he adamantly shook his head. "Uh, no. You got the wrong person. Now if you'll excuse me there's somewhere I have to be. Anna, it was nice meeting you and I hope to see you again?"

He held out his hand towards Anna and she see a small piece of paper between his fingers. She hesitated for a moment and grasped his hand, feeling it transfer into her hand. He gave her a final smile and walked away.

"Well he's _très mignon_." Joleena giggled. "Very tall and mysterious, _oui_?"

" _Oui_." Anna sighed dreamily. She then blushed and shook her head. "I-I mean, he's alright I guess. Kind of a jerk though."

Joleena raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say _ma cherie_. I'm gonna go back to your brother. Have fun and call me if you need anything."

* * *

Joe immediately found Uncle Joe and went over to him while Joleena went over to talk to Anna. His uncle had on a ridiculously large bow tie and was talking to a group of older magicians.

"Ah and this is the young man I was telling you about." Uncle Joe grinned and threw and arm around his shoulders. "This is my nephew and soon to be Warp Wizard Joe."

The older men nodded and they continued their conversation.

"It really is a shame that they're marrying her off like that." One of the men said. "These high powered magic families give all of us magicians a bad name, making secret alliances through their children. No wonder why the common people are calling for an end to the magician class."

Joe's eyes widened in alarm. "The council wants to get rid of magicians!?"

The other man shook his head with a small chuckle. "Not magician my dear boy, but the class. They want to limit one's magic ability to… practical means only. Which means an end to recreational or scholarly studies of magic."

"As well as time travel." Uncle Joe said. "Except for of course the Warp Wizard and certified time agents. But even that privilege might also end soon."

"Well that sucks, but what does that have to do with magic families making alliances?" Joe asked.

The magicians exchanged a look and lowered their voices. "They say that these families are gaining too much power. And many of them have ancient claims to the throne. Some of them very strong claims."

"And the Beauchenes and Eadburts are two of the more powerful families. The Beauchenes are highly powerful family of magicians dating back to beginning of Syrania and the Eadburts are a recently magic powered family with a long connect back to the throne."

"Hmm, then that must be why they want their children to marry." Uncle Joe gave Joe a concerned look. "I'm afraid we might be getting in to something deeper than we thought nephew. Are you sure you want to precede further?"

"Absolutely. I want to get her out of this more than ever." Joe groaned in irritation. "It's just like Mr. Beauchene to get Joleena into some crazy conspiracy."

One of the magicians gave Joe a look. "Young man I would listen to your uncle if I were you. You don't want to get mixed up with the Beauchenes or the Eadburts. They're not the best families to associate yourself with if you don't know what you're doing."

"Shh, be careful how loudly you speak." His friend chided quickly. "You know what happens to those who are perceived enemies of the Beauchenes."

"Joleena isn't like that-" Joe started angrily but Uncle Joe laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Thank you for the warning gentlemen." He said politely. "Joe, why don't you find your girlfriend and dance for a bit. I see what else I can find out."

Joe let out a breath and nodded. He then moved away from his uncle and looked around for Joleena. He spotted her with a drink in her hand, talking to a group of sorceresses. When she saw him, she said a few brief words to them and headed over.

"Hey," He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Are you having a good time?"

"Well considering that my father's not hear, yeah I'm having a pretty good time." Joleena smiled. "I saw you talking to your uncle. Did he find anything yet?"

Joe glanced up and noticed several guards watching them. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he didn't like the thought of Mr. Beauchene or Sir Eadburt having spies watching them or something.

"How about we talk and dance?" He said taking her drink and pulling her close. "There are a couple of guards looking at us weird and I don't want to look suspicious."

Joleena gave the tiniest nod and let Joe led her out onto dance floor. They danced away from the guards watching them and Joe made sure they were out of ear shot before speaking.

"Okay, this may sound like some kind of conspiracy theory, but I think Mr. Beauchene and Sir Eadburt may be trying for the throne." He said in a low voice. "They want to marry you to Christophe because he has the royal bloodline and you have the magic."

Joleena frowned in confusion. "But why me? There are plenty of girls with better connections to the throne or come from just as powerful families."

"Not from what I heard. Your family apparently dates back to the beginning of Syrania. And… there's more." Joe took a breath and chose his next words carefully. "One of the magicians my uncle was talking to warned me about your family. There might be something shadier than marriage deals going on."

Joleena rolled her eyes. "Of course there is. I tried to murder someone, my parents covered it up… at least the horrible in my family is genetic."

"I guess we'll just have to break the streak with our kids huh?" Joe winked.

Someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and Joe turned to see Christophe standing behind them. He was dressed up of course and decked out in even more gold than Joleena was. Joe's blood boiled even looking at him and Joleena tensed.

"Forgive me for interrupting," Christophe bowed with a small smile. "But I was hoping that I might have my fiancé for a dance."

"She's not your fiancé and the answer is no." Joe growled.

Christophe chuckled. "Perhaps you're suffering from short term memory loss but I believe we've already established who the stronger magician is here. Believe it or not I'd like us to be… civil towards one another."

"Or I have a better idea." Joe stepped away from Joleena and took a step towards him. "How about we take this outside and I kick your butt with no magic at all?"

"Joseph, stop it!" Joleena hissed stepping between them. "You two are causing a scene. Christophe, leave us alone! We don't even like each other, remember?"

"It isn't about whether we like each other, my dear." Christophe held his hand out to her. "It's about obliging our families and making the best out of things. So because you will soon be my wife, I plan on treating you like my wife."

"The hell you will!" Joe snapped.

Christophe's charming smile fell completely and he glared at Joe. "And who's going to stop me? You? Ha! Don't make me laugh."

"Your highness!" Joleena said suddenly and smiled brightly.

King Apollo walked over to them and all three of them gave a low bow. The king stood in front of Joleena though and took her hand, raising her up.

"Ah the lovely Miss Joleena." He smiled and kissed her hand. "I see you have men competing for the right to dance for you."

Joleena gave a flirtatious giggle. "But for you, your highness, there is no competition."

Joe frowned but Joleena quickly gave him a look that told him she knew what she was doing. So Joe had to watch while the king swept his girlfriend away leaving him standing next to her ex. His hand went straight for the pocket where his smokes were and headed for the balcony.

* * *

"And so you see your highness, there's just too much to do for my wedding while at the same time my pupil is getting her first magic license." Joleena batted her eyes at the king. "It wouldn't be fair to my pupil to be so preoccupied so I'd like to delay my

"How can I say no to a selfless request like that?" King Apollo gave a hearty laugh. "I shall talk to your father have the wedding delayed until after the convention."

"Thank you, your highness." Joleena gave a low curtsy just as the set of music ended. "Now if I may be excused, the hour is getting late and I must get to bed."

"Of course my dear." King Apollo gave her a small bow and moved on to the next pretty girl.

As soon as he was gone, Joleena straightened up and went to find Joe. She met him coming out from a balcony.

"Well I did it." Joleena smiled. "I bought us some more time. My wedding has been officially put off until after the convention."

Joe sighed in relief. "That's great. Now let's get out of here before your _fiancé_ comes looking for you."

"You know what would be the perfect way to screw him over?" Joleena smiled seductively and ran a finger down his chest.

"Hmm..." Joe returned her smile and grabbed her hand. "I might be able to think of a few things, but it might take all night, and part of the next morning."

"Then we should get started then shouldn't we?" Joleena winked and practically pulled him out of the ballroom.


	12. Day One

Tents were set up around the palace grounds selling magic items, potions, food, and a wide variety of books. Among the excitement of the regulars and the nervousness of the new comers, there was a certain restlessness in the air. There were clusters of non-magicians and commoners scattered around the crowd murmuring among themselves.

Joe took everything in as he and the others headed into the palace on the first official day of the magic convention. They showed their passes to the guards and were ushered inside past the first wall. He noticed some of the non-magicians giving them dirty looks as they went in. The conversation with the old magicians from last night came to his mind.

"Hey Joleena," He said quietly. "Has anything been happening in Syrania? You know, like have there been any civil unrest or anything?"

Joleena threw a cautious look around and lowered her voice. " _Oui._ There has been small cases of civil unrest scattered around the kingdom for the past ten years or so. But nothing serious. Why do you ask?"

"Hopefully nothing." Joe shrugged. "But let's just be careful. I think I saw some non-magic people who didn't look too happy."

"Well that's not surprising." San-Li mumbled. "There are so many more magic wielders than non-magic wielders, it would make anyone nervous. Especially since there are hardly any defenses against it."

Joleena narrowed her eyes. "A true magician or sorcerer would never use their magic to harm a defenseless person. It is against our code."

"Yeah and guns don't kill people. People kill people." San-Li said sarcastically.

"Actually, San-Li does have a point." Sam shrugged. "I was talking to some people and there really is minimal defense against magic. And most of that is just to defend against dark magic."

"So if someone with magic were to attack someone without magic…" Fred let his voice trail off when he saw the look on Joleena's face.

She huffed angrily and stormed off without them. Joe shot the others an annoyed look and followed after her.

* * *

They wandered around the palace grounds until they came to a large dirt filled courtyard with coliseum like seating. Inside the arena people held small sparring matches while onlookers cheered from the stands. Fists flew and magic flared as the sparrers tried to take advantage of their opponent. They were all friendly matches, no real harm was meant to be done, but nurses and healers stood by just in case.

"Cool!" Fred turned to San-Li with an excited grin. "Come on! We have to. Just a quick match please?"

San-Li chuckled and looked at Alex who nodded eagerly. "Alright, if you guys really want to see me kick Fred's butt I guess I can."

"Ha! We'll see about that!"

They quickly signed up for a match and headed into separate small rooms to change into the provided sparing outfits. For San-Li it was dark blue tight fitting pants and a tight tank top midriff. The outfit didn't do anything to protect against magic, but it was supposed to discourage unauthorized concealed weapons or magic. San-Li had just pulled on the pants and was about to tie her hair up when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in, Alex!"

Sam opened the door and slowly came inside. "Um, actually it's me. I was wondering if ….you didn't mind… doing me a favor…"

San-Li turned to look at him with one eyebrow raised, wondering what was wrong with him. Sam's face was flushed and he was staring at her wide eyed with his mouth hanging open. She glanced down and noticed she was completely topless and the door was still wide open.

"Ah!" She shrieked and quickly covered her chest with her arms. "What are you doing? Close the door!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Sam came in and quickly closed the door. "I'm so sorry, San-Li. You said to come in so I just came in and I-"

"Geez, Sam." San-Li sighed, lowering her arms. "Next time come in faster before some random guy sees my girls."

Sam's eyes darted downward and he quickly turned around. "S-sorry."

"Sam," San-Li couldn't stop herself from chuckling a little. "You've seen me in less than this before. We have two kids remember?"

"Yeah, but that was when we were together." He muttered under his breath.

San-Li smile fell and she quickly pulled on her top. "So you wanted to ask me something?"

"Um yeah." Sam slowly came towards her. "I was wondering if you could help me collect some data during your sparing match."

San-Li's smile came back because she knew Sam was about to pull out some interesting invention. Sure enough he dug into his satchel and pulled out a small flat square and a bundle several thin wires. At the end of the wires were small flat suction cups.

"Portable heart rate monitor?" She guessed.

"Better than that." Sam grinned. "Not only down it monitor and record your heart rate, it also records your external and internal body temperature, how much you sweat, and it's even able to record your muscle and nerve activity."

"Alright." San-Li smiled and spread her arms. "Wire me up."

Sam's smile became nervous and he stepped closer to her. He gently lowered her arms and moved behind her.

"I'm going to attach the recording unit on the back of your pants, okay?" He asked quietly.

When San-Li gave her consent Sam gently clipped the flat box on the inside of her pants. It was so light weight that she barely felt it. Sam even gave it a gentle tug to make sure that it didn't become dislodged while she was fighting.

"Now," He said close to her ear. "This may feel a little uncomfortable and personal but I'm going to attach two wires between your hips and thighs. They'll record the information from your legs."

"You don't have to give me the play by play, Sammy sr." San-Li chuckled. "I trust you whole heartedly."

They both froze at her last statement with San-Li blushing furiously. Sam cleared his throat but didn't say anything. He placed both hands on her hips and hesitated, his fingers twitching nervously. San-Li took a deep breath, looped her thumbs in the top of her pants, and slowly lowered them until the tops of her thighs were exposed. She heard Sam suck in a sharp breath and he quickly attached two shorter wires to the box in her pants, then he moved in front of her to attach the wires to her thighs. A sigh escaped her lips before she could stop it and he briefly glanced up but then glanced back down again.

As soon as Sam finished he shot back up and they stood face to face, their noses less than an inch apart. She wondered if her face was a red as his was. Sam cleared his throat.

"You can pull your pants up now." He said.

"Right." She snatched her pants up. "Sorry."

The barest of smiles flitted across Sam's face and he continued to place wires strategically on her body. The wires were the perfect length that there wasn't extra to trail or snag. She also couldn't help but notice how close he was to her and how much her heart was pounding. As he placed wires his fingertips were inadvertently caressing her skin sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

"So what would you us this data for?" San-Li asked in a near whisper.

"Fight suit." Sam said. "I'm designing a fight suit which will be made of anti-magic material, but I have to make sure it breaths well, moves well, and won't over heat. Eventually I hope to make it be able to withstand outside weather too."

"Interesting." San-Li bit her lip nervously and blurted out, "I really miss hearing you talk about this stuff. It used to be the highlight of my day."

Again, a small smile came across Sam's face and San-Li felt her heart flutter. "Me too."

He stood up and they were face to face again, twisting a final wire in his hands. "Um, this one has to go…"

San-Li followed his gaze to her chest. "Oh. Okay."

Sam gave an embarrassed smile. "Don't worry. I won't do anything inappropriate. Here, can you thread this under your shirt please."

"Okay." San-Li took the wire and moved it under her shirt and up through the top, between her breasts.

Sam then peeled back the paper, found her pulse, and attached the suction cup. His hand kept moving upwards, his fingertips trailing over her skin and raising goosebumps in their wake. San-Li closed her eyes, her breath was coming in ragged gasps, but she didn't move. When Sam's hand landed on her cheek she finally opened her eyes and found herself staring into his eyes.

"Don't play too rough okay?" He chuckled lightly.

San-Li didn't answer. Instead she closed her eyes again and slowly leaned closer.

"Hey!" Fred through open the door with Fina right beside him. "Are you coming or what? It's almost our turn!"

"Y-yeah." San-Li quickly moved away from Sam. "I'm right behind you, Fred."

"San-Li wait!" Sam reached out to stop her.

San-Li groaned in irritation and turned around. "Sam please, it was a mistake. I'm not ready to-"

"Just…give me a second." Sam pulled out his tablet and looked at it before nodding. "Okay. Everything is set and online. You're good to go."

San-Li blinked in surprise. "T-that's it?"

Sam nodded and moved past her, his eyes completely focused on his tablet. San-Li stared stupidly after him until Fred impatiently grabbed her arm and pulled her out onto the arena.


	13. Rising Tensions

As soon as Joleena walked away and Joe chased after her, Anna took the opportunity to break away from the group. She touched her hair nervously and resisted the urge to check her make up for the twentieth time. Anna had left the note in her journal, but she had already memorized it.

 _Meet me in the upper balcony on the library floor._

It was only ten words but they buzzed around in Anna's head all night as well as thoughts of Damien. Mysterious was an understatement. For goodness sake, she had never even seen his eyes before. But there was just something about him that Anna couldn't let go of. He was rude and cold, but he was also deep and calming. And it didn't hurt that he was soooo good looking.

"Calm down, he's not that good looking." She mumbled to herself. "Besides, he's a total jerk."

Regardless, her feet carried her into the palace and up the stairs. She followed the signs for the library. There were a lot of people milling around on this floor, going in and out of the library. Several guards stood by to make sure no one stole any of the valuable books.

Anna headed to the balcony entrance and went outside.

"Wow." She breathed.

Before her stretched an amazing view. Green grassy plains stretched out until they met the town and a blue sparkling river cut through both. In the distance over to the left was a forest and hills. And far in the distance Anna could swear that she could see the vague shape of mountains. The sun shone brightly over it all and a gentle breeze carried the scent of the orchards from below. Several birds flew overhead trailing magic in their wake that dissipated into light sparkles. Anna drunk it all in with a smile on her face.

"Man I would kill to live here." Anna sighed. "The magic world is so amazing."

It suddenly occurred to her that the note never specified what time Damien wanted to meet. For all she knew he could have meant late at night after everyone went to sleep. A blush crept up her face at the thought of meeting a guy alone at night. She impatiently shook her embarrassment away.

"Get it together. He's not your boyfriend or anything. We're barely friends." She mumbled.

She leaned up on the balcony rocking back and forth on her heels with a mixture of impatience and nervousness. Joleena probably wouldn't be happy with her waiting around for some guy instead of practicing her magic. The council would be here today and Anna still had no idea when exactly her test would be.

"Five more minutes." She decided. "I'll wait for five more minutes and then I'll leave. If he really wants to see me, he can come find me."

That was when Anna noticed that the balcony stretched around the corner. She shrugged and started to walk the length of the balcony just in case Damien happened to be waiting for her there. Just before she rounded the corner though, she heard a deep, low chuckle. She recognized it as Damien's and a smile grew on her face before she could stop it. But when she walked around the corner, Anna stopped dead in her tracks.

Damien was leaning on the balcony railing smiling and laughing with Cecilia, the girl Anna met in the lobby the first day. Cecilia was sitting on the balcony railing, swinging her feet and giggling. She leaned down to whisper something to Damien and he laughed. He said something back and Cecilia broke into another round of fresh giggles.

Anna felt her heart drop to her stomach and her throat felt thick. Damien's head came up and he turned towards her. A small smile came to his lips but Anna spoke before he could.

"Sorry." She forced herself to smile and hastily backed away. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll give you two some privacy."

"Anna-"

Before Damien could finish speaking though, Anna practically ran back the way she came the left the balcony. She impatiently rubbed her burning eyes and went to find Joleena so she could practice her magic. She didn't know why her stomach was in knots. It wasn't like she liked him or anything.

* * *

Lightning. That was the only thing Sam could think of as he watched San-Li spar. Her movements were so fast that they were almost impossible to track and her strikes were powerful and accurate. Sam could feel his own heart race as he watched her. He was recording her every movement with his tablet to help with his research. Whatever he made the suit out of needed to be flexible to accommodate her fluid movements.

"Beautiful isn't she?"

Sam glanced up and saw Nathan coming up to stand beside him. He was shirtless and had a towel draped around the back of his neck like he just came from working out. Sam resisted the urge to snarl at him. He still couldn't shake the image of Nathan pinning San-Li against the wall.

So they both watched silently as San-Li took on three opponents at once, teaming up with Fred. She dodged their swings almost gleefully, then delivered a round house kick, causing her pony tail to whip around her shoulders. A smile came to Sam's lips.

"San-Li's more than beautiful." He whispered. "She's… awe- inspiring."

To be perfect honest it had taken all of Sam's will power not to pull San-Li back in the room with him and kiss her senseless. But he just had to be patient and bide his time. Let her work through whatever she was dealing with and pray that eventually she would come back to him on her own.

Sam glanced back up at Nathan and found him watch San-Li with a soft smile of his face. Again he had to resist the urge to sneer at him. Last night when San-Li came by to take Alex back to her room, she had been flustered and wouldn't look Sam in the eye. Nathan had probably said something that made her upset or uncomfortable.

"You must feel proud seeing San-Li like this." Sam said watching his expression carefully. "Last time you saw her she must have been ten and you were what… twenty?"

"That's right." Nathan said easily. "She's come a long way."

"Kinda like seeing your daughter or niece all grown up, right?"

Nathan glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't quite put it like that."

"Then how would you put it?"

"It's more like…" Nathan's smile grew a little. "Seeing an old lover."

Sam's eyes widened and he felt his temper rise but before he could say anything Alex suddenly cheered excitedly. He looked and saw San-Li and Fred perform a sort of combo move that took out the last three opponents. Fred swept San-Li up and used his brute strength to help swing her, and San-Li used her speed to knock out the three men they were fighting. They fell to the ground and lifted their right hand to concede defeat. The spectators erupted into loud cheers as San-Li and Fred lifted their arms in victory.

Sam stopped the recording and quickly grabbed a towel as they started to come over. Even from a distance Sam could see that San-Li was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Just before she reach him though, Nathan stepped up to her fist and handed her a water bottle.

"You did great out there." He grinned. "Absolutely awe-inspiring."

San-Li rolled her eyes, but there was a light blush on her face. "Geez where'd you get that line, a cheesy hallmark card?"

Nathan gave a breezy laugh and Sam could feel his pulse hissing in his ears. Fred walked up to him and grabbed the towel from his hand. He followed his gaze to San-Li and Nathan and gave a sympathetic shake of his head.

"Tough break man." Fred mumbled. "He's an older guy _and_ they used to be best friends."

"Yeah well, a few years ago we used to be best friends too." Sam muttered. He took a deep breath and ruffled Alex's hair. "By the way, Fina wanted me to tell you that she went to find Joe. He needed her for something."

A small frown came to Fred's lips, but he nodded without saying anything. Sam turned his attention back to San-Li and he smiled. San-Li was still blushing, but she looked downright irritated at whatever Nathan was saying. And he lifted his hand to caress her cheek she angrily knocked it away. Nathan frowned and laid a hand on her shoulder, but she yanked his arm away and kneed him in the crotch, making him fall to his knees with a grunt of pain.

"I swear I should have become a lesbian." She grumbled.

She started to come towards him and Sam felt his heart pounding again. He opened his mouth to say something, but San-Li ignored him and grabbed Alex's hand.

"Come on little bro, I'm gonna teach you a few self-defense moves." She said and shot a look at Nathan. "You need to be able to defend yourself if someone doesn't get the hint to leave you alone."

Sam smirked as Nathan struggled to get to his feet. "Just like old lovers huh?"

"Oh don't mind her." Nathan gave a dry chuckled and returned Sam's smirk. "Sony's just a little shy. We shared a kiss last night and she's feeling a little embarrassed about it."

Sam's face fell and he felt the ground shift under his feet. Fred snorted and glared at Nathan.

"Oh yeah? Well if San-Li likes you so much then why'd I walk in on her and my friend kissing a few minutes ago?"

Nathan's face fell as well and he looked away. "Excuse me. I have some place to be."

He cast one more wistful glance at San-Li but then walked away with a pensive expression on his face. Sam's shoulders sagged and he threw Fred a grateful look.

"Thanks for that."

"No problem." Fred gave him a rough pat on the shoulder that almost knocked his glasses off. "Now if you'll excuse _me,_ I'm going to go find my wife. Laters."

Sam nodded and turned his attention back to San-Li. There was a kind patient smile on her face as she tried to arrange Alex in a fighting stance. He had a bright eager smile on his face as well and Sam was struck with the resemblance between the two siblings. San-Li caught his eye and he smiled at her, but she rolled her eyes and focused her attention back on her brother.

 _Nathan's lean, tone body pressing against San-Li's curvy petit body. Her eyes half closed as Nathan leans in close to her…_

" _We shared a kiss last night…"_

Sam quickly shook the thoughts away. Instead, he forced himself to go back just a few minutes earlier when he had San-Li shivering at the mere "unintentional" brush of his fingers as he wired her up. A smile crossed his face. Forget whatever Nathan says, Sam still had a shot of getting San-Li back, he just knew he did.

 _"I swear I should have become a lesbian."_

That is… if he didn't annoy her away first.

* * *

Joe followed Joleena into a large meeting room. At one end of the room there was a large, elevated chair and on the left and right sides were rows of ornate chairs, also elevated with smaller chairs behind and slightly to the side. The rest of the room was taken up with benches. Anyone who tried to enter the room had to show their passes to the guards. Joe followed Joleena inside and they took two seats near the front.

"So what is this room for?" Joe asked.

"This is where you'll present yourself to the council and where any important decisions will be made." Joleena said tiredly. "I wonder where Anna is. I hope she doesn't miss this."

Joe closed his eyes and nodded. "I just told Fina to meet us here. Maybe she'll find her on the way."

Joleena nodded absently and twisted her hands together nervously. Joe wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed them gently.

"It'll be okay." He said softly. "Everything will turn out fine."

She gave him a small smile in return and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thanks _mon amour._ You always make me feel better." She whispered.

Anna came up to them and plopped on the seat next to Joe. "Sorry I'm late. I had some… issues to deal with."

"Sorry I'm late as well sir." Fina walked up and gave Joe a brief bow. "I was watching Fred and San-Li spar."

Joe gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks for being here. I'm not sure if I'll need you but it just helps me to have you around."

"Just let me know when you need me sir." Fina smiled and went to stand against the wall near the back.

More people filed into the room until it was filled with magicians and their servants. The guards nodded to each other and closed the door with an echoing bang. The talking became hushed and a herald came in through a door in the front to announce the Grand Magic Council. He called their names and magic profession one by one and they entered into the meeting room with their clerk. The council member took a seat in the ornate chairs on either side of the single chair in front of the room while their clerk took the smaller seat behind them.

The names of the council member and clerk were so strange that Joe honestly didn't pay attention to them. Even the faces and their clothing was boring. Their faces were stern and each council member was wearing the same burgundy and white robes. When the last council member and clerked walked in though, Joe couldn't help but gasp. The clerk of the last council member was a woman that Joe would recognize anywhere even though technically he never met her before. She was announced as Victoria Coupe but Joe knew that she was probably once known by a different name.

A glance at Joleena's strained face told him he was right in his assumption.

"Joleena," He whispered. "Is that…"

"Yes Joseph, it is." Joleena sighed and closed her eyes. "Victoria Coupe is my mother."

 **A/N- Yay an update! Read and review please!**


	14. The First Hearing

Victoria Coupe was a tall, slim woman with broad shoulders and a mass of curly dark brown hair that was pinned back near the nape of her neck. Her skin was the same shade of Joleena's and her eyes were a dark purple. She didn't even seem to notice her daughter as she went to sit down behind her council member.

Joe glanced at Joleena. Her face seemed calm but Joe could see there was a layer of sadness over her features. He would kill to know what she was thinking. All he could do though was reach over and lay his hand on top of hers. She gave him the briefest of smiles before turning her attention back to the front.

"And his royal highness, King Apollo!" The herald announced and the king strode in, taking a seat near the council.

" _Operi Lux, et Lux Omnem Vitam!"_ He called out.

" _Operi Lux, et Lux Omnem Vitam!"_ The crowd called back.

The herald then stood at the front of the room and everyone stood to repeat the vows of magic use. Like Joleena said earlier, it was basically an oath not to use their magic for evil, not to dabble into forbidden magic, and not to use magic to harm or take advantage of someone without magic. Then they all sat down and the initial hearings began.

One by one the magicians who were either getting their magic license renewal or getting licenses for the first time were called up. Some had an endorser with them and some didn't. Either way the format was pretty much the same. The magician or mage would sit at the chair in the front and make their case on why they thought they should get or keep their magic license. If they had an endorser with them then that person would give testimony for or even against the person in question.

And if there was no one to endorse the magician or mage though, the Council used something called magic foresight, to see the magic doings of the person in question no matter what world or country they were from. These were prepared ahead of time and made into reports.

If the testimony or report was good and the person was seeking a renewal, then one of the clerks would make an appointment with the person to have their license renewed within the next day or two. And if the person was getting their license for the first time then an appointment was made for them to prove their worth in a one on one session with one of the council members at a later date during the convention.

If the testimony or report was bad though (the person was lazy or untalented) then they still had one more opportunity to prove the council members wrong at the end of the convention. And if they aren't able to prove themselves by then, their magic use will be temporarily suspended until the next convention. Six months after this one concluded.

Joe swallowed nervously. He had gotten so used to his magic, just feeling it within him, that having to go six months without it sounded terrible.

One by one magicians and mages were called to the front to present themselves. They ranged from children as young as ten to elderly men and women. Some of them were confident almost to the point of arrogance while others were sweating bullets and quaking in their seats.

Most of them were approved unanimously by the council, but there were a few debates over some of the others. One of the strongest debates was over a thirteen year old fire mage who accidentally burned down half his non-magic neighbor's barn. Half of the council saw it as an honest mistake and thought the boy would learn from it. But the other half of the council saw it as a case of irresponsibility especially with something as powerful as fire magic. Thanks the endorsement of his parents, both prominent elemental mages, they council agreed to give the teen a change to prove himself to one of the more skeptical council members.

The clerk handed the teen a piece of paper with his appointment information then he was ushered back to his seat. The herald cleared his throat to announce the next candidate.

"Next, Anna Arthur from the normal world, here to apply for her first magic license in the area of spell casting and divining!" The herald called out.

Anna took a shaky breath and stood up. She made her way to the front and sat down. Joe felt a glimmer of pride for his little sister. She only looked a little nervous instead of completely terrified.

"And her endorser and mentor, Miss Joleena Beauchene!"

There was an astonished mummer around the room as Joleena stood up and went to stand next to Anna's chair. She looked completely calm and confident, her lips in a sure smile. Joe couldn't help but glance at Victoria to see her reaction, but the woman looked blankly at Joleena almost as if she didn't realize who she was.

"Miss Anna Arthur, is it?" King Apollo nodded to her. "Please address the council and make your case."

"Okay." Anna took a deep breath and began. "My first encounter with magic started when I was around eight. My older brother had a magic book that could travel through time and I well, traveled through time with it."

"Time travel is hardly considered magic, dear." A council woman interrupted. "Perhaps you should just enroll in the Warper's Academy?"

There was a light rift of laughter from the audience and Anna flushed, but held her head high. She cleared her throat and continued.

"When I was around twelve my uncle, also a magician, and my great grandniece, a time traveler, set me up with a mentor, Joleena Beauchene. For years she trained me in advanced divination and spell casting. I am now able to foretell the past, future, or present, and I also have the ability to cast complex spells."

A few of the council members nodded their head in approval, but some of them didn't look impressed. King Apollo nodded and turned to Joleena.

"Miss Beauchene, would you recommend your pupil for a magic license?"

" _Oui."_ Joleena said without hesitation. "Anna has worked hard over the years and has proven herself time and time again with her skills. She has even saved my life more than once."

For the briefest second Joe saw her eyes flicker towards her mother. But Victoria remained focused on Anna and whispered a few brief words to her council lady.

"Anna Arthur is brave, strong, smart, intelligent, and good." Joleena continued. "She's made me proud to be her mentor and I know she'll make our magician class proud."

There was a brief, quiet conversation among the council members. Joe waited breathless for their verdict. Finally Victoria's council woman cleared her throat and stood.

"While her credentials are impressive, my trusted clerk and adviser Victoria has informed me her mentor is a novice herself. That and the fact that Miss Arthur was born in the normal world leaves the council with reasonably doubts to her abilities." She said. "So the council has decided that we will grant Anna Arthur her magic license only on the condition that she proves her skills to me. That is our final decision."

There was another wave of murmuring from the audience. Anna looked relieved to have the ordeal over with, but Joleena laced her fingers together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. They both bowed to the council though, took the piece of paper that the herald handed to Anna, and went back to their seats. Joe laid his hand on top of Joleena's and the second his hand touched hers he could feel all the anger brewing in her, making her magic burning hot. It literally hurt to touch her. But Joe endured the pain and kept his hand on hers until he felt the heat of her magic cool as she calmed down.

"And finally Joseph Arthur, the next chosen Warp Wizard!"

Joe felt the blood drain from his face as even louder murmuring rose from the crowd and the council. He glanced towards them and saw more than one scowl at him. But Joe took a deep breath and went to sit at the front of the room.

"Because Joseph is vying for his position as Warp Wizard there shall be no sponsors or endorsements." The herald said. "He shall be judged solely by his merits alone."

Joe's eyes shot to Fina but she nodded grimly, as if she knew all along that he would have to face this alone.

"Joseph is it?" King Apollo cleared his throat and looked through some papers. "You uncle used to frequent my kingdom quite often a few years ago. Proceed to state your case young man."

"Well," Joe cleared his throat and said what he and Fina rehearsed, "I received The Book from my uncle when I was ten. I used it to time travel and when I learned how dangerous it was I made sure to keep it safe so no one could take advantage of it. Over the years I studied and worked at using my magic and The Book. And now I feel like I am ready to take on the responsibility to become the next Warp Wizard."

When he finished he let out the breath he was holding and saw Fina give him a small nod of approval. The council members talked among themselves before one stood up angrily.

"Is it not true that you once allowed a military emperor change the entire course of history?" He accused angrily. "How can anyone trust you to keep the entire space time continuum in check if you cannot even control history in your world?"

Inwardly Joe cringed at the fact that his brief stint with Napoleon was brought up but he quickly recovered.

"I know I made some mistakes in my past." Joe said not bothering to mention that it happened when he was ten. "But I have learned from them. There was even a point where I stopped using The Book completely for a period of four years until I felt I was ready to wield it again."

"But is it not true that people other than yourself has used The Book? People with no magic training what so ever?" Another council member pointed out.

There was a ripple of scandalized whispers throughout the room and the king had to raise his hand to silence them. Joe was beginning to feel irritated. He had been ten when most of these mistakes had been made! What did these people want from him? But he forced himself to answer the accusation.

"Magic training or not, magic or no magic, the people who I have allowed to make contact with The Book are good people that I trust with my life. They've done nothing but help me keep the continuum safe."

Joe then thought about telling them how he and his friends faced the Tenebrosi Sanction on more than one occasion and won, but both Fina and Joleena had warned him to hold off on that information for a while.

The conversation among the council members was louder, but he was relieved to note that at least less of them were scowling. Anna whispered something to Joleena who shook her quickly shook her head and whispered something back.

After a few moments of conversing, someone rushed into the room and whispered something to a guard who whispered something to a clerk who whispered it to their council member. The council member conveyed the information to the rest of the council members and stood.

"It has come to our attention that the previous Warp Wizard is present at this convention." He announced. "We have decided to postpone our decision until Joseph has completed a brief mentorship with him and have proven his worth to us. Do you accept these terms Nathan?"

The doors opened and Nathan walked in. He shot a brief smile at Joe and nodded to the council. "I accept the job of passing my knowledge to Joe."

"Then Joseph shall spend one week being mentored by Warp Wizard Nathan who will judge his merits to be the next Warp Wizard. That is our final decision."

Once again there was whispering throughout the room as Joe stepped down and returned back to his seat. He noted that Fina had somehow disappeared. Probably got bored once his turn was done. He didn't blame her.

"You did well _mon amour_ ," Joleena whispered. "I think they were leaning in your favor."

"Really? Didn't seem like it to me." Joe grumbled. He craved a cigarette but he had to fight the urge until he could be alone. "How much longer does this last?"

"It should be over soon. Not much longer, _mon amour."_

"And now the council will announce what issues they will consider during this convention." The herald announced. "Lady Victoria Coupe has been asked by her council member to present the topics that will be discussed. Additional meetings over these matters will be further debated at later times with final decisions being made on the last day of the convention. Lady Coupe will take the floor now."

Victoria stood up and made her way to the front but didn't sit down. She looked over the audience before speaking.

"It has come to the Council and the kingdom's attention that magic and the use of magic has been running rampant throughout both the magic world and the non-magic world." She said in a calm, clear voice. "There have been many complaints from the non-magic wielders that such over use of magic is endangering everyone who isn't powerful enough to defend themselves. The council will be deciding what measures to take."

"They're just dissatisfied normies!"

"These high powered magicians are a danger to everyone!"

"We should extradite the normies to the normal world where they belong!"

"We need to limit these magicians and sorcerers before they enslave all of us!"

They entire room was torn as they angry shouting continued. It even got to the point where several of the guards closed in one a few people. The king stood up and the entire room quieted down. Victoria waited until the king sat down again before continuing.

"There have also been a recent rise in black market activity and the appearance in dark magicians." She said still maintaining her calm. "The council will look into these matters thoroughly and will discussion laws to keep magic use in check. Meanwhile if _any_ magician, mage, or sorcerer is found grossly misusing their magic for anything but the most upright means, or anyone found practicing dark magic will have their magic stripped, any memory they have associated with magic stripped, and will be banished to the normal world."

There were now fearful whispers among the crowd and even the king looked a little surprised. Victoria went back to sit down and the herald finally announced the end of the first day of hearings. The council members stood and filed out of the room while everyone else broke into conversation waiting to be released.

"Is that a normal thing?" Joe turned to Joleena. "Stripping people of their magic and memory and banishing them?"

" _Non._ Usually it's only reserved for the most _odieux_ of criminals and they're not banished to the normal world. I guess these issues are more serious than I thought." Joleena gave a weary sigh. "Don't worry about that though. Focus on meeting with Nathan and maybe I'll be able to talk to my mother if she has any free time."

"Is there anything you want me to do?" Anna asked.

"Practice I guess, or…" Joleena gave her a slight smirk. "Maybe find that young man you were talking to the other night?"

Joe frowned. "What guy were you talking to last night?"

Anna pursed her lips and looked away. "Absolutely no one, Joe."

Joe wanted to push further but he spotted Nathan waving at him with a large smile on his face. Joe waved back and stood.

"Well, I guess I go talk to Nathan now." He leaned down and kissed Joleena on the cheek. "See you later?"

Joleena smiled. " _Oui_. See you at dinner _mon amour_."

 **A/N- I had a little one shot on where Fina went off to but its a little NSFW if you know what I mean ;) Thinking about whether or not I'll post it exclusively on my tumblr. But anyways I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and please read and review please.**


	15. Horseback Riding

Fina felt a little guilty for leaving the hearing before it was over, but when Fred was around she wasn't exactly on her best behavior. As a matter of fact, her neck was still throbbing from the hickey he gave her. After she made sure Joe would be alright without her for a while, she and her husband wandered around the palace holding hands.

"I need to buy you more jewelry." Fred mused eyeing her ring and bracelet. "Maybe a necklace or a pair of earrings?"

"I don't need any more jewelry, sweetheart." Fina smiled up at him. "Besides, I thought we were trying to save up for another car."

"Why would we need a second car? You don't need to drive anywhere."

"But I-"

"I mean, you can just fly anywhere and get there faster right?"

"Umm… yeah I guess you're right." Fina mumbled. "Still would have been nice to have a car of my own."

"Mmhm." Fred dismissed with a distracted smile. "I kind of miss you having long hair. Ever think about growing it out again?"

Fina gave a dismissive shrug of her own. She now had the sudden urge to chop off all her hair and get one of those pixie cuts San-Li had told her about.

There was a sudden commotion as people ahead of them suddenly dipped down into bows. Two body guards walked around the corner and following them was none other than Prince Adrian as well as several well-dressed young men and woman. When Prince Adrian spotted Fina, his eyes brightened and his smile grew.

"Lady Fina!" He walked past the guards towards them. "I was hoping I would see you."

Fina dipped into a curtsy and tugged on Fred's hand to signal for him to bow.

"It is an honor to see you again your highness." She said.

"Um, yeah. Cool to see you again, dude." Fred winced when Fina nudged him. "I mean your highness."

"Oh rise, rise. You don't need any of those formalities with me." Prince Adrian chuckled. "Fina please tell me that you'll accept my invention and go riding with us."

Fina cast an uncertain look at Fred. "Well I-"

"Riding as in horseback riding?" Fred grinned. "Sounds fun, count me in."

"Excellent! That means you can't say no Fina." Prince Adrian threaded her am through his. "Come, I shall take you to the stables."

The group of them walked outside to the private royal stable yard. Prince Adrian kept Fina's hand on the inside of his elbow, despite her gentle tugging to get out of his grip. She glanced behind her and saw Fred happily chatted with the guys.

"I hope I'm not being too forward with you." Prince Adrian said quietly so the others wouldn't hear. "It's just exciting to meet you. Like I told you last night I've heard so many stories about you and your adventures with my ancestor King Andrew."

Fina shook her head and cast a wary glance at Fred. "No, you aren't forward. It's just… my husband is very protective of me. And I haven't told him about any of my adventures because I don't want him to worry about me anymore than he already does."

"Understood." Prince Adrian gave her a sly smile. "I'll be nothing but discreet, White Cat."

Fina smiled back at him. "Thanks, Golden Prince of Syrania."

"Ugh, I hate that name. My father dubbed me that and it's been haunting me ever since."

"Funny, Prince Andrew is the one who dubbed me White Cat."

They shared a quiet laugh and Fina was struck with how familiar it felt laughing with him. Oh, that's right. She used to laugh with Andrew the same way. Thinking of Andrew brought another twinge of guilt but it wasn't as strong this time.

"So how old were you when you first came to Syrania?" Prince Adrian asked. "Oh wait, it wasn't called that then was it?"

"This entire land mass was called Conxus back then." Fina said. "Similar to the Latin word _Conexus_ meaning connected or united. Before Syrania became an independent kingdom, everything was ruled by seven united lords of magic."

"Ah yes, I remember this from my history class." Prince Adrian nodded. "But please, tell me more about _your_ role in everything. That's what I really want to know."

Fina laughed at his bright and eager face. Sammy and Keiko would give her the same face when Joe did a magic trick or when she turned into different animals.

"Well I guess it all started when Miss Xa'ma, the Warp Wizard a few thousand years ago, received a vision of what Syrania was meant to become…"

* * *

The weather was warm with a fresh breeze as they rode around the kingdom. Fred had ridden horses before on a few warps when he was ten or eleven so it was no big deal, but he couldn't exactly say he was enjoying himself. He tried to entertain himself with the conversation going on around him, but his eyes kept drifting to Fina and Prince Adrian riding a little ahead of them. Fred strained to hear what they were saying but they were just out of earshot.

 _Dude relax,_ he told himself, _Stop being so paranoid. They're just talking. It's no big deal._

But then Prince Adrian leaned close to whisper something to Fina and they broke into laughter. Fred pursed his lips in annoyance, gripped the reigns tighter, and spurred his horse faster to catch up with them.

"You guys sound like you're having fun up here." Fred plastered a friendly smile on his face. "What are you guys talking about?"

Fina and Prince Adrian exchanged swift glances and chuckled. "Oh nothing."

"Nothing huh?" Fred muttered.

Fina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh Fred, he's just telling me about the kingdom. I was just wondering how it changed since I was here last that's all."

"Wait a minute. I thought you told me that you've never been here before."

"Um, I forgot." Fina bit her lip. "It was so long ago that I barely remember it."

Fred gave Fina a confused look and noticed that she was avoiding his eyes and chewing her bottom lip nervously. Shock hit him when he realized that she was hiding something from him. In all the time Fred knew her Fina had _never_ lied or kept anything from him.

He leaned closer to her so Prince Adrian couldn't hear. "Fina, you know you can tell me anything right?"

Fina sighed and looked up at him. "Fred, I-"

"Let's have a race shall we?" Prince Adrian interrupted brightly. "To the edge of the river near that droopy tree over there."

Fina nodded eagerly and without another word she and the prince galloped away. Fred swore under his breath and galloped after them.

The three of them tore across the field, clumps of grass and dirt flying under the horses' hooves. Suddenly, Prince Adrian and Fina took a sharp turn to the left into the woods. Anger burned through Fred's veins and he followed after them. He ducked low over the horse's mane to keep the branches from hitting him in the face. Fina and the prince wove through the trees, almost disappearing from Fred's sight a few times.

"What the hell?" Fred growled. "Are they trying to lose me or something?"

By now Fina's hair was streaming behind her wildly and her face and clothes were splattered with mud. She and Prince Adrian smiled at each other in excitement, almost as if they forgot Fred was even there.

"Fina slow down!" He yelled. "Slow down before you get hurt!"

It was like she didn't hear him through because she raced on with Prince Adrian. His wife's rippling, carefree, wild laughter hit him like a slap in the face. Fina didn't hear because she was too busy having fun with Prince Adrian. More fun than she ever had with him.

But then Fred's worse fear was realized.

As Fina and Prince Adrian turned a bend on a hill, Fina and her horse suddenly disappeared from sight.

"Fina!" Fred and Prince Adrian yelled in horror, reigning to a stop.

Fina had taken the turn too sharply causing the horse to skid on moss and pine needles, and they both tumbled over the edge. While the horse regained some footing, Fina was tossed from the saddle and was currently plummeting down the steep precipice. Fred waited for her to turn into a bird and fly, but she must have been knocked unconscious because her limbs were flailing like a rag doll.

"Fina!" Fred felt tears sting his eyes as he jumped off his horse and started to scramble down after her. But he was going to slow and there were several large rocks looming ahead and-

Suddenly, a golden light streaked past Fred and scooped up Fina before she could bash her head against the rocks. The streak flew past him again and when Fred looked up he could see the streak was Prince Adrian in his golden, glowing armor.

 _He's literally a freakin' knight in shining armor._ Fred thought bitterly as he scrambled up again.

He reached the top just as Prince Adrian was gently laying an unconscious Fina down on the ground. She was covered with mud and scratches but nothing appeared to be broken. Fina groaned softly and slowly opened her eyes.

"My lady," Prince Adrian said softly, touching her cheek. "Are you alright?"

Fred roughly shoved him away and knelt down next to his wife, catching her hand up in his. "Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah." Fina gave a weak chuckle. "I guess I took that turn pretty hard huh?"

"An expert himself couldn't have handled it better." Prince Adrian laughed. "You took that fall like a warrior."

Fred felt his blood boil. "What the hell are you laughing about!? My wife could have been killed!"

"Fred!" Fina turned to him with a shocked look. "You can't talk to Adrian like that!"

"Oh, so it's Adrian now? What happened to 'your highnesses'?"

"Stop it! You're being ridiculous!"

"You could have been killed, Fina!"

"I'm not made of glass, Fred." Fina pushed away from him and stood. "So you can stop treating me like I am."

"Perhaps you should take it easy, Fina." Prince Adrian said calmly. "That was a pretty nasty fall you took and I haven't thoroughly checked you for injuries yet."

"You're not checking her thoroughly for anything!" Fred said through clenched teeth.

"I told you both I'm fine!" Fina huffed in exasperation. "I used to race through the mountains, ridding bareback on wild horses to deliver messages between waring nations for crying out loud."

"The war of Broken Stones!" Prince Adrian gasped in excitement. "I remember reading that in my history books! The stories said that those messages you delivered was how they found peace after years of fighting!"

Fred looked back and forth between them feeling his anger mount. "What the hell are you two talking about? Fina's never done anything like that!"

"Yes I have!" Fina cried indignantly. "You don't know half the things I've done, Fred!"

Fred felt his chest tighten and his hands shake at his sides. Fina gave him a burning look of irritation that he never saw before. He almost didn't recognize her. Before he could say anything though she transformed into a bird and flew away in a flurry of white feathers.

 **A/N- Sorry for having all these couple problems in this story, but perfect relationships are so boring to write. Besides, fluff gets stale when there's nothing for the couple to overcome. Anyways, read and review please**


	16. Warp Wizard to Warp Wizard

Joe reluctantly left Joleena's side and went over to Nathan. The last time they had spoken, Nathan was more than a little peeved at him for not pursuing the Tenebrosi Sanction. But now he was smiling from ear to ear like they were old friends or something.

"Joseph!" Nathan grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. "It's great to see you again it's been forever!"

"Yeah two years." Joe smiled. "And it's just Joe, only Joleena calls me Joseph."

"Joe it is then. Hopefully Warp Wizard Joe by the end of this convention." Nathan wrapped an arm around Joe's shoulders. "Come, let's talk outside where we can enjoy the weather."

Joe hated to admit it, but he honestly felt a little in awe of Nathan. This guy had actually been the Warp Wizard! He seemed so sure and comfortable with himself among the other magicians and Joe could feel a light magic aura around him. Once they were outside Nathan turned to him with a friendly smile.

"So the Council said that I have to mentorize you and get you prepped for being Warp Wizard. Anything you want to ask me?"

"What's it like to be the Warp Wizard?" Joe burst out eagerly. "Is it amazing? Do you have a lot of incredible adventures?" He found himself bouncing in excitement like he was ten again and forced himself to regain his adult composure. He cleared his throat. "You know, just so I know what to expect."

Nathan chuckled. "Well you definitely have the adventure part right, but unfortunately they're a little more on the political side. Lots of negotiating, treaty making, settling disputes and what not. You know, making sure that some greedy or incompetent monarch doesn't veer history off course and steering the path."

"Oh." Joe's face fell a little. "Well, are there any cool perks for being the Warp Wizard?"

"Respect. Depending on where you go. Not many of the high class magicians hold time travelers in high regards, but being the Warp Wizard is still a high status all things considered. Some people even revere us."

Joe nodded. "Yeah, a few years ago when I warped to the Amazon I met a tribe who practically worshipped me for being the Warp Wizard."

"Really?" Nathan gave him a playful smirk. "Meet any pretty native girls?"

Joe rolled his eyes. "Wasn't really looking. I was in a pretty committed relationship at the time and I still am."

"Ah committed relationships." Nathan sighed, his smile fading a little. "I remember those."

Joe frowned. Last night Sam had confided in him and Fred his fear that Nathan would steal his ex-girlfriend from him before he could have a chance to win her back over. Now he wondered if Sam really did have something to fear. Maybe the committed relationship Nathan was talking about was the one he had with San-Li. But Nathan shook his head to clear whatever he was thinking and smiled at Joe.

"So how did Joleena take the news of you becoming Warp Wizard?"

"Um," Joe shrugged. "Alright I guess. We kind of have other things to worry about though."

"She isn't…" Nathan cleared his throat and glanced at his abdomen. "You know… _in that way_ as they used to say?"

Joe's eyes widened. "You mean pregnant!? No way! She's just engaged to someone she doesn't want to marry."

"That's a relief." Nathan sighed. "Things will be a lot cleaner that way."

"I mean, maybe in a couple of years I'll be ready to start a family with her but for right now there's a few things we need to take care of. Starting with that insufferable fiancé of hers."

"But Joe wait. You can't-"

"But once he's out of the way and I start making enough money to help support us, I'll finally be able to-"

"You can't marry her, Joe." Nathan firmly interrupted. "Or start a family with her."

Joe blinked at him in confusion. "Hold on, did you have a vision about a burning wedding too? Because I'm willing to work around the actual wedding part to avoid that."

"No Joe." Nathan shook his head sadly. "I mean you can never settle down and start a family. Not as long as you're the Warp Wizard."

Joe stopped walking altogether and folded his arms. "And just why is that?"

"Being the Warp Wizard is pretty much a solo job Joe. You spend all your time blending into different time periods and taking on different identities. Sometimes you have to doing this during brutal wars or times of plague. You can't bring a wife or children with you and you very well can't expect them to wait for you."

"And just why not?" Joe argued. "I warp there, do what I have to do, and I warp back right where I left off."

"Just because you can warp through time doesn't mean that you won't age Joe." Nathan frowned. "Trust me, I warped away from home when I was nine and came back when I was twenty. You don't just move through time, time moves around you."

Joe felt his stomach shift at the thought of him warping away and coming back ten years older, but he quickly shook it off. As a matter of fact, Fina had taught him many times how to change the ages of various objects organic and inorganic. Nathan seemed to read his mind though and was swift to correct him.

"Those aging spells are only temporary on humans. Even if you did it over and over again your mental age will never change."

"But, Joleena-" Joe licked his dry lips. "Look, I know being Warp Wizard won't be easy but Joleena and I love each other and we'll find a way to work things out."

The words felt true when he said them but Nathan gave him a look so full of pity that Joe found it hard to look at him.

"Joe," Nathan sighed heavily. "I hate to tell you this but being a Warp Wizard is a solo job. We can fall in love and even sire children, but we cannot spend the rest of our lives with them like a normal person. Same with friends or family. We don't belong to anyone. We belong to time."

Joe shook his head angrily. "You can't be serious. Joleena isn't some girl that I have to hide my magic from. My friends and most of my family already know about magic and have fought beside me. Do you really expect me to give them up?"

"Yes." Nathan said firmly. "Just like Xa'ma gave up her children and just I had to give up the love of my life, grow up without her, and let her family die!"

Nathan's voice had rose louder than Joe ever heard him and his eyes were dark with pain. Joe opened his mouth to say something but Nathan kept going.

"Let me ask you something, Joe." He continued in a low angry voice. "If you received a vision that told you Joleena's father or her mother or her aunt and uncle were going to die, in say a fire, what would you do?"

"I'd do anything to stop it." Joe answered automatically. "That's not even a question. It's what we're here for."

"Oh yeah? But what if that's part of how history was supposed to run? Tragedies shape history every day."

"Then I change history then." Joe said in an equally voice. "I'd change everything for her and the people I love."

But Nathan smirked. "But what if when you changed history, you end up killing Joleena too?"

Joe felt his throat go dry but he forced himself to answer. "Then I'd try again."

"And what if you try a thousand times again and she died every single time." Nathan's voice dropped to a whisper and his eyes got misty. "The girl I loved, her family was destined to be slaughtered. For weeks I tried everything I could to save her family, but each time it ended up with her sharing their fate. All I could do was postpone it."

Joe was rendered speechless. He knew he had to be talking about San-Li, who else could it be? But to hear that Nathan had known and had tried to stop it, but couldn't—

"There could have been another way." Joe insisted. "You two… could have worked together or something to figure out a way…"

"There was another way." Nathan wiped hastily at his eyes and gave a weak smile. "The only other way to save the girl I loved was to let her family die. It was the one path that allowed her to live, grow up, meet Sam, and have children of her own. Anything I did to save her family, even just a small part of it, resulted in San-Li dying."

Joe took a step back and felt his chest tighten. It seemed almost impossible to comprehend. Knowing that there was nothing you would do, all the powers of time and space meant nothing against Fate. The person you loved was destined to be with someone else.

Nathan seemed to regain some of his composure and spoke in a more normal voice. "This is what I mean Joe. We're not meant to have the same lives as everyone else. That's what the role of Warp Wizard Assistant is for. Fina will be the only steady companion in your life."

"She's married." Joe pointed out. "She and Fred are married and planning to have children. I can't just expect her to drop all that."

"She knows her duty. She's had the job for thousands of years. All you have to do is order her and Fina will obey you."

"Obey me?" Joe scoffed and felt his anger return. "Fina is my friend not my servant. And did you ask San-Li what she wanted? Maybe you couldn't think of a way to save her family, but maybe she could have! Did you ever think of maybe going forward in time to the older, highly trained San-Li to maybe, _just maybe,_ see if she could have figured something out!?"

It was Nathan's turn to gape at him. "Joe, you don't understand-"

"Oh I understand perfectly," Joe felt anger and indignation fuel him. "You and possibly every other Warp Wizard are all full of crap if you really believe that the job means being unattached to anyone. If anything, during my time warping I learned that it was my _friends_ and my _family_ who saved my life more than once. It's for them that I'm even taking this seriously!"

Nathan looked at him like he was crazy, and for a brief second Joe was afraid that his chance at being Warp Wizard was blow, but for the most part he didn't care. His friends, his family, Joleena… they are all important in his life. More important than some stupid title.

"I don't care what everyone else, you or Xa'ma, thought you had to give up to become Warp Wizards." Joe said with conviction. " _I'm_ not like that. _I_ value my friends and the people I love. _We_ fought the Tenebrosi and won. _We_ saved the world from the Yacumama and won. And _they_ will be the ones will help me check space and time in check. So you can go tell the Council that you don't think I'm ready to become Warp Wizard, but I know I am because of _them_."

Nathan stared at him silently for a moment and for the first time Joe noticed the fine lines in his face and his hands shook at his sides. Then Joe suddenly realized why Nathan's aura felt so light. It was fading.

Nathan sighed and gave Joe a doubtful look. "I won't stop you from becoming Warp Wizard Joe, but for your sake and Joleena's sake I hope you don't end up learning things the hard way."

"You'll see." Joe stared him down with a fierce look of determination. "I'll be a better Warp Wizard than any of you ever were. And I'll do it with the help of my friends, my family, Joleena, and my future children."


	17. Two Proposals

After getting in a little self-defense training with Alex, the two of them bought some food from a vendor's stand for lunch. They then headed back to the inn so she could take a much, much needed shower.

"You know," San-Li said. "When I was doing my dragon research I learned that you might be able to go half dragon. You'd get the scaly armor, the claws, and the fire breath without the inconvenient size. Sorta like a scaly body guard for the Warp Wizard."

"Cool!" Alex spewed crumbs everywhere with his mouth full. "Do you know how I can do it? When can we start training?"

"Whoa, whoa take it easy little bro." She laughed. "You're going to have to learn a lot of self-control first before we do anything."

Alex gave a dramatic groan which made San-Li laugh again. She was so glad that her used to mute little brother was finally coming out of his shell. On the way to their room she passed by Sam's room and heard faint music inside. She paused to listen and recognized it as a _Gorillaz_ song. The last time she remembered Sam hated the _Gorillaz_ and called them a preteen cartoon band. She was just about to walk by when Alex pulled out a key and opened the door.

"Sam, I brought you some food!" He called going inside before San-Li could stop him.

Sam was sitting at a desk with three laptops, papers and books everywhere, and _Gorillaz_ music playing from a wireless speaker. The first laptop was playing the video of her sparing, the second was playing the same video but with her muscles and nerves mapped out, and the last laptop was filled with complicated, scrolling equations. He turned around and smiled when he saw Alex and San-Li come in.

"Hey," He paused to turn the music down. "How was your first sparing match, Alex?"

"Alright," Alex shrugged and handed him a meat filled bread. "She didn't really teach me how to fight, just self-defense stuff."

"Gotta learn the basics I guess." Sam took a large bite of his food and starting working again.

While he worked he ate like a starving man and San-Li vaguely wondered if he remembered to eat that morning. It would be typical of him to get so wrapped up in his research that he would forget basic functions like eating or sleeping.

"Since when do you like _Gorillaz_?" San-Li asked instead. "I thought you hated that band."

Sam swallowed his mouthful before answering. "I got used to it. It was inevitable since you used to always blast it when we studied together."

"Are you working on a mecha suit?" Alex asked excitedly. "Some of these drawings look like the suits from Evangelion!"

"Not mecha suits but something just as cool." Sam grinned. "Come sit with me and I can show you."

Alex nodded eagerly, but San-Li laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Sure he won't distract you? I know you're pretty busy."

"It won't be a bother." Sam smiled fondly at Alex. "I like having him around."

Alex shot a triumphant look at San-Li and pulled up a chair next to Sam.

"Then you won't mind watching him while I take a shower then?"

Sam nodded then turned his attention back on to Alex and began explaining things to him. San-Li took her leave and headed a few doors down to her room. The room was moderately spacious with two queen sized beds, two dressers, a desk, and a large bathroom.

"I'm glad Frenchie sprung for a room with running hot water." She said out loud. "Maybe I'll take a nice long, hot bath instead of a shower."

She hummed under her breath as she started to fill the stone tub with hot water. San-Li had been to Syrania a few times before but in less than savory circumstances. When she was able to scrape up the money for an inn she had to get her water from a well, heat it over a fire, then try to wash herself with it.

Once the tub was filled with steamy water and suds, San-Li stripped her clothes and was just about to step into the water when there was a barrage of knocking on the door.

"Ugh, are you serious?" San-Li mumbled, pulling on a robe. "Why now?"

The knocking continued, becoming more frantic.

"Coming, coming!" San-Li yanked the door open angrily. "What?"

The next thing she knew Nathan grabbed her face with his hands and pressed his mouth against hers desperately. Without breaking the kiss he walked them into her room and kicked the door shut behind them. Despite the thumping in her chest, San-Li finally regained her senses and pushed him away.

"What the heck Nathan!?" She gave him an extra shove for good measure. "You can't just barge in her and kiss me like that! What if my brother had been in the room?"

"But I had to see you again." Nathan said breathlessly, ducking his head for another kiss.

San-Li turned her head to keep his lips from touching hers, but allowed him to place gentle kisses across her jaw and cheek. She took a breath and tried to keep her voice and heart beat steady.

"So why the _dire_ urge to see me again so soon? Didn't I knee you in the crouch not that long ago for not keeping your hands to yourself?"

Nathan pulled away and she noticed that his hair was becoming undone from its ponytail and his hazel eyes were tinged red. If she didn't know any better she would have assumed he had been crying or something. Keeping his gaze on her face Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her flush against him. And with one hand on the back of her head he pushed her head into the crook of his neck, until they were in a loving embrace.

"I had the dire urge to see you again because I'm in love with you, San-Li." Nathan whispered in her ear. "I couldn't stay away from you even if I wanted to."

San-Li took a second to savor the warmth of his embrace before gently pushing him away. "Well… I think you're going to have to try."

"Is this about Alex?" Nathan eyed her in concern. "Because he isn't a baby, you can just tell him about us."

"What about us?" San-Li mumbled, looking away. "I never gave any guarantees you know. I have some things I need to think about."

"What?" Nathan jerked her shoulders to force her to look at him. He searched her face carefully as if he was trying to read her. "San-Li…we made love. After that kiss in the library we went back to my room and made love over and over again the entire night. What else is there to think about?"

"We had sex." San-Li clarified bluntly. "We had hormone induced, 'I-was-vulnerable-and-you-were-there', lust driven sex. One night doesn't mean I'm ready to embark on a whole new relationship."

"But this isn't a new relationship, Sony! This is me and you. Throughout all time and space!"

"I think I'm still in love with Sam!" San-Li blurted out before she could stop herself. She shook her head. "I mean, I thought I was over him, but I'm not sure anymore."

Nathan stared at her, hurt and shock all over his face. But then he started shaking his head and his grip on her shoulders tightened.

"Don't do this, Sony." He begged. "Fate has given us another chance to be together. I gave up being Warp Wizard and you gave up on being with Sam. Don't throw away what might be our last chance to be together!"

Nathan stared at San-Li intently and she felt her stomach twist. Was it just sex that night? Was she just feeling comfortable with Sam? Nathan had been her best and only friend for years and was her first love. But Sam was the father of her children and made her feel warm. And both men loved her unconditionally even while she jerked them around.

"N-Nathan, I-"

Again, there was knocking on her door, cutting her off. Nathan shook his head but San-Li pulled herself out of his grip and opened the door enough to look out. "Yeah?"

"Hey San-Li," Sam gave her a sheepish smile. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Um," San-Li cast a quick look at Nathan to make sure he stayed out of sight. "Sure but can you make it fast? My bath is getting cold."

"Right, of course." Sam cleared his throat. "I was just about to meet with some engineers (I can take Alex with me of course) and it got me thinking about something. I want to propose something to you. A consultation/ body guard job if you will."

San-Li rose an eyebrow feeling her interest peak despite the _situation_ going on behind her. "Continue."

"Well, remember a few years ago you used to use this red jewel to teleport yourself and your weapons?" Sam's eyes shone excitedly. "Well I was thinking about our future daughter's fight suit and I remembered that she used those jewels to teleport her swords without having to carry them on her back all the time."

"And you want my help to get some for you? As in take you shopping to get some?" San-Li smirked. "I dunno Sam, I got that from the black market and it wasn't an easy find. It could be dangerous."

"And what's more dangerous than San-Li the time thief?" Sam chuckled. "Besides, I have complete faith in your skill set. I have the utmost confidence that you can get me and back safely and successfully."

Nathan made a quiet noise behind her and San-Li quickly stopped smiling. "I'll think about it okay? Now if you don't mind…"

"Right." Sam seemed taken aback at her sudden change in mood. "Um, I have to go now but can we go as soon as tomorrow morning? Fina can watch Alex for us."

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow." San-Li quickly shut the door and glared at Nathan. "Really?"

"Why are you doing this to me, Sony?" Nathan sighed in exasperation. " _I love you_. I want to settle down and be with you. Have children with you."

"I have children." San-Li said stubbornly. "And I don't want to make things more complicated for them than it is already. They probably don't even know that their father and I aren't together."

"I'll be their father." Nathan took her hands in his. "I'll love them as if they were my own. I'll do whatever you want me to do, Sony. Anything just so we can be together."

He started kissing her knuckles one by one, his lips warm and soft. San-Li groaned and felt that accursed heat spread through her body, clouding her mind and judgement. It wasn't right. She shouldn't be feeling this way with Sam not having left but five minutes ago. After he finished kissing her hands, Nathan got down on one knee.

"San-Li," He said. "I've been in love with you since we were children and now I feel like Fate is finally allowing us to be together. Please, _please_ be with me forever and marry me."

San-Li's breath hitched in her throat and tears filled her eyes. Nathan proposed to her! Wanted to settle down, help her raise Keiko and Sammy, and have even more kids with her.

….. But didn't she turn the same thing down with Sam a year ago? The man she already have children with? She needed to say no. This was Nathan's chance at a fresh start as well. He could find someone else with less baggage to settle down with. She should say no. She should say no.

"I'll think about it." San-Li heard herself say instead.


	18. Mother to Daughter, Father to Daughter

Each council member had an entire suite in a wing of the palace, heavily guarded and with their own train of servants. And each of the council member's head clerks had their own smaller suite in front so you couldn't get to the council member without going through them. But Joleena wasn't trying to speak to a council member, she was just trying to speak to her mother.

"You don't understand." Joleena huffed in exasperation. "I'm her _daughter,_ she'll make time to see me."

"No you don't understand." The woman said stubbornly. "Lady Coupe is very busy. If you wish to see her you must make an appointment. That's the rules."

Joleena slammed her hands onto the desk and glared at the secretary. "Listen you infernal woman, I am Joleena Beauchene of the Beauchene family and I demand to speak with my mother!"

"I am well aware of who you are Miss Beauchene." The woman returned her glare. "But Lady Coupe has given her strict orders not to be disturbed by anyone unless it was King Apollo himself."

Joleena felt her cheeks and hands burn with anger and her eyes narrowed. Suddenly, the paper the secretary was writing on burst into purple flames, surprising even her. The secretary shrieked and jumped up, knocking over her chair with a loud bang.

"What is going on out here?" Victoria came out from a back room and raised an eyebrow when she saw Joleena and the purple fire. "Joleena? Care to explain?"

Joleena flushed in embarrassment and lowered her eyes. "Well, I… I just wanted to see you and I um, unfortunately lost my temper because this woman-"

"You're blaming someone else because you lost control of your temper and your magic?" Her mother shook her head. " _Ma fille,_ I thought I taught you better than that."

" _Oui mamma._ " Joleena whispered. She felt like a child again, being chastised for throwing a temper tantrum.

But Victoria finally smiled at her with a small smile. "Come, you caught me between meetings so I believe I have a few moments to spare you."

A wave of relief went through Joleena as followed her mother into her small receiving room. It had been so long since she had seen her, the day after her twelfth birthday to be exact. Her mother had visited for exactly one hour and they had a light, but formal chat before she left yet again. But now Joleena knew exactly why. She had felt guilt course through her veins ever since the start of the hearing and now she was going to finally have the chance to apologize.

"You've grown so much, I hardly recognized you." Victoria smiled, sitting across from Joleena. "How are you _ma fille?_ "

"Things have been… difficult." Joleena took a deep breath and looked her mother in the eye. "I was kidnapped and tortured by the Tenebrosi Sanction, an evil organization. They inadvertently broke daddy's mind barriers and… I remember what I did.

Victoria Coupe blinked slowly and her expression was unreadable. "Oh? And what exactly do you remember _me petite fille_?"

"I tried to kill your… your lover." Tears filled Joleena eyes. "I found out that you were having an affair, I got upset, and when I tried to scare him away I nearly killed him and crippled him for life. I know nothing I say or do can change things but I just wanted you to know I'm truly sorry for what I did and… I miss you and I beg for your forgiveness."

She finished breathlessly, tears spilling down her cheeks, and waited for her mother's reaction. Victoria stared at her for a long time, not speaking. Then she smiled. It should have been comforting to Joleena, but for some reason it sent a chill down her spine.

"That young man at the hearing, Joseph Arthur was it?" Victoria said slowly. "He is your lover yes? I've seen the way you've looked at him. The way your eyes light up. The small smile on your face."

Joleena blinked at the odd change in conversation. "Um, y-yes. Joseph and I are deeply in love with each other."

Victoria nodded and continued to stare at Joleena. "He has a very nice smile and he is a very good looking young man, no?"

" _Oui._ " Joleena said with a soft smile. "I can't wait for you to officially meet him. He's-"

"Does he hold you at night?" Victoria interrupted, a knowing smile on her face. "After you two make love, does he hold you in his strong arms? Whisper in your ear how much he loves you? Hmm?"

Joleena's cheeks turned red in embarrassment and she sunk back in her chair. "M-Mother! I hardly think this is appropriate!"

"Non?" Victoria leaned forward and continued staring at Joleena with that small chilling smile. "Would it be inappropriate then, to think of Joseph's strong arms forever hanging limp at his sides? His strong legs bound to a wheel chair for the rest of his life? Or that beautiful, charming smile forever slack and empty? Would it be inappropriate to think of him like that?"

The image flashed so clearly in Joleena's mind that her throat constricted with tears. She tried swallowing but found it impossible. Her mother's seemed to grow dark with pain, but she continued to smile.

"Nicholas used to have the most wonderful smile." She sighed fondly. "Whenever your father made me want to drink myself to sleep, Nicholas would only have to smile and my heart would soar."

"M-mother I-" Joleena tried to draw in a breath, but found she couldn't. Her heart starting pounding as fear gripped her. Why couldn't she breathe?

"He used to hold me too, in a way your father never did." Victoria sighed sadly. "But all that is over now. I loved Nicholas just as much as you loved Joseph, perhaps even more so, but now he can never say he loves me again."

Joleena wanted to apologize again, but her throat was constricting painfully and she could barely draw in the shallowest of breaths. She was gasping, trying desperately to breath, but the invisible vice on her throat only got tighter and tighter. Black began to creep in the edges of her vision as she stared at her mother in horror. She didn't know what was happening? A panic attack? Sheer guilt? She wanted to plead for help but had no voice and found she couldn't even move. Victoria tilted her head and continued to smile.

"Is something wrong dear?" She asked sweetly.

There was a sudden knocking on the door and Victoria's head snapped up in surprise. The invisible vice around Joleena's throat suddenly disappeared and she gasped for breath, nearly falling out of her chair.

"Yes?" Victoria called out. "What is it?"

The secretary opened the door and poked her head inside. "Your next appointment will be arriving shortly and Council woman Lecreece has some errands for you to run."

"I'll be finished here shortly." Victoria dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

The secretary bowed and closed the door again. Joleena finally caught her breath, still feeling her heart hammering in her chest. Her mother watched her for a moment before snapping her fingers, making a glass of water appear. Joleena took the glass with trembling fingers and sipped eagerly.

"Are you alright dear?" Her mother eyed her with concern. "It seems you had a panic attack."

"Y-yes, like I said things have been difficult lately." Joleena stood up on trembling knees and forced herself to smile. "I-I-I should get back to Jos- I mean, I see you're busy. I should get going now."

Victoria stood and came towards her, easily towering over her. "It was so nice seeing you _ma fille_. We should speak again soon."

Joleena nodded and embraced her mother briefly before practically fleeing from her office. Air. She need some fresh air. Once she reached outside Joleena drew in deep breathes of the warm, fresh air. That vice had felt so real, but her mother didn't seem to notice anything so it couldn't have been.

"Calm down, it was just a panic attack." She mumbled smoothing her hair back into place. "I've been under a lot of stress lately that's all. It's just stress."

Now that her lungs were finally full of air, Joleena pulled her cigarettes out of her skirt pocket and lit one up. The nicotine soothed her frayed nerves and she was grateful for the distraction and a moment of peace.

"Joleena!"

She turned towards the voice and saw her father striding towards her, his face tense. Joleena groaned out loud. Great. Just what she needed.

"Joleena, what's this I hear about postponing your marriage?" Her father stopped in front of her angrily. "Don't you realize how important this marriage is?"

"I'm not marrying Christophe, daddy." Joleena glared at him. "He's a lying, cheating bastard and you know I'm in love with Joseph!"

"But marrying Christophe is the only way to secure your future!" Her father grabbed her shoulders and brought his anxious face close to hers. "Please understand Joleena. I'm doing this to protect you."

Joleena shoved him away impatiently. "Protect me from what? I'm happy with Joseph! I may never be rich and our family connections might suffer, but I don't care about that anymore!"

"This isn't about wealth or power Joleena!" Her father said desperately. "Don't you see? Things have gotten complicated in the past two years. Arranging your marriage to Christophe was the deal I made to ensure that you stay out of things."

Joleena blinked at her father. His usually strong, piercing eyes were wide with distress and there were lines at the corners of his mouth. He seemed to have aged five years since Joleena saw him last.

"Daddy what is it?" Joleena whispered. "What's wrong?"

Mr. Beauchene shook his head and suddenly pulled her into a crushing hug. The warm, musky scent of his refined clothes and cologne engulfed Joleena as he stroked her hair.

"You have to marry Christophe Joleena, for your own good." He whispered. "Sometimes you have to do what's necessary to survive."

Joleena drew back to look at her father's face. "Daddy you're scaring me. What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Mr. Beauchene shook his head and smiled sadly. "Just remember that you are a Beauchene sweetheart. No matter who you marry or divorce, you will always be a Beauchene. A proud, strong, noble, and honorable Beauchene."

"Daddy I-"

"Mr. Beauchene." Two men in royal groomsmen suits came up to them. "Sir, the king wishes to see you now."

Joleena's father cleared his throat and straightened up, suddenly going back to the imposing, stately man she knew her whole life. He turned to the two groomsmen and nodded.

"I'm ready." He turned back to Joleena. "I trust you'll do what is right my dear, even if it's difficult or you don't understand."

His eyes bore into hers and she could feel his magic trying to enter and control her mind, but her own magic wouldn't let him. But his concern for her seemed genuine so she nodded. Mr. Beauchene closed his eyes in relief and nodded.

"That's my girl."

Joleena watched him leave with the groomsmen feeling a powerful headache coming on and dread build in her stomach. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and a pair of lips brushed her neck.

"Hey," Joe held her close against him. "Is everything alright sweetheart?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Joleena whispered. "I don't know."


	19. Tavern

Night time fell and the convention ended for the day, except for a few exclusive night classes you could sign up for in advance. Joe, Fred, and Sam met up at the tavern near their inn for drinks and dinner. It had been the first time in a few months that the three of them had been able to get together and just talk without worrying about children, girlfriends, or wives.

"I'm telling you guys I'm this close to winning San-Li back, I just know I am," Sam took another sip of his (non-alcoholic) drink and sighed. "If only stupid _Nathan_ would just back off, we probably would have gotten back together sooner."

"Nathan bothering you too?" Joe scoffed. "Can you believe that jerk told me I had to give up all my friends, family, and Joleena when I become Warp Wizard?"

Fred gave a quick sharp whistle, summoning over the waitress to refresh his drink. Joe and Sam exchanged a look. There were dark bruises under Fred's red eyes like he had been crying or something. He looked the most miserable than they had ever seen him. Joe sympathetically laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright Fred?" He asked cautiously.

"No." Fred took a long draught and slammed his drink down. "That stupid golden _jerk_ of Syrania guy is moving in on my wife and made us get into this huge fight. I should have punched Prince Adrian in the face when I had a chance."

"Shh!" Sam darted a nervous look around the tavern. "Don't say that too loudly. You don't want us to get executed or thrown into a dungeon do you?"

"Pfft. Like I care." Fred took another long swing and dropped his head in the crook of his arm. He mumbled something they couldn't hear, but it sounded depressing.

Joe sighed. "Christophe trying to marry Joleena, Nathan trying to steal San-Li, Prince Adrian getting in-between Fred and Fina. Is it just me or is this trip a lot more trouble than its worth?"

"At least you'll be Warp Wizard after all this is over." Sam said helpfully.

"Yeah, but at the price of losing everyone I care about." Joe also took a long drink of his drink. It both burned and tickled his throat while the room temporarily spun around him. It was the most amazing drink he ever had. "Man I love alcohol. This tavern is amazing."

"Maybe San-Li and my parents were right. I shouldn't have married Fina so soon." Fred lifted his head to drain the last of his drink. "It's obvious she doesn't want me in her life."

"Or she doesn't want you running her life." Joe mumbled. "Seriously dude, you take over protective to the next level."

"Well it's her fault for always seeming so… so…." Fred groaned in frustration. "All I ever see her do most of the time is cook, smile, and turn into a cat unless you tell her differently. How the hell am I supposed to know that she used to be completely different? How do I know she won't get bored with me and just leave?"

"Because she's your wife and she loves you." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah well, San-Li is the mother of your children and look what happened."

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Both of you shut up!" Joe spoke up before a real fight could break out. "Fred, just sit down and talk to Fina. Every couple fights and you two are no different. Sam, stop begging San-Li to come back to you. Either she does or she doesn't. End of story."

Fred and Sam both shot him a nasty glare but settled down. Joe sighed and kept drinking. They were going to need a lot more alcohol to get through the night.

* * *

"This is the tavern?" San-Li muttered. "Back when I was a time thief I went to taverns way cooler than this. This so pg-13."

Fina rolled her eyes. "Well we aren't all cool retired time thieves like you San-Li. Besides, Anna doesn't need to be at a real tavern in the first place."

"Um, hello I'm not that young." Anna frowned with her hands on her hips. "Though I guess compared to you…"

She let her voice trail off when Fina shot her an irritated glare. San-Li sighed and wrapped an arm around both their shoulders.

"Come guys. Hard core or not, we could use the alcohol and some time away from the guys." She grinned and led them inside.

She, Fina, and Anna decided they needed to have some down time without drama. San-Li made sure Alex was completely preoccupied with a hand held game and Joleena had elected to stay behind and rest. Inside they saw Joe, Fred, and Sam at a table and immediately went for a table at the opposite side of the room.

"We should hang out more often.' Anna said brightly. "I can't talk about magic stuff or anything cool with my other friends at home."

"At least you have other friends." Fina mumbled, looking down at her menu. "Not that I don't love you guys, but when I have a fight with my husband it'd be nice to be able to talk with someone other than his close friends."

Anna eyed her curiously. "What are you two fighting about anyway? I thought you two never fought about anything."

"Well obviously you were wrong."

"Why are you being so rude to me? I was just asking."

"Then stop asking alright?" Fina snapped. Tears filled her eyes and rubbed her face vigorously. "Ugh, sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me, Anna."

"I know what's wrong, you aren't drunk yet." San-Li quickly waved over a nearby waitress. "Yo! Can I get a round of drinks over here?"

"Right away ma'am." An icy-blue haired girl came over to them and gasped. "Anna! You came!"

She practically jumped onto Anna, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug and Anna had to resist the urge to shove her away. What happened earlier wasn't _entirely_ her fault. Damien was just a no good, emo wanna be, lying-

"He's bartending tonight." Cecelia whispered conspiratorially in her ear.

"Oh?" Anna mumbled pulling away from her. "Great for you."

Cecelia shrugged and took out a pen and pad of paper. "Yeah I guess. My cousin can be pretty annoying sometimes but he's a pretty good bartender. What can I get you guys?"

"Dragon's Breath on the rocks with a side of flame wings please." San-Li said.

"And I'll take peach bellini, a slab of steak, and fried grennen feathers please." Fina mumbled miserably. "And keep the bellinis coming."

"C-cousin?" Anna stammered, feeling her face heat up with embarrassment. "You're Damien's cousin?"

"Yeah and he's told me a lot about you." Cecelia giggled. "So I'll take this order and get it started right away."

She practically bounced away, humming under her breath. While Fina and San-Li chatted together, Anna's eyes drifted over to the bar. Wearing a dark blue dress shirt, black leather vest, his ever present glasses, and looking as gorgeous as ever was indeed Damien. He was listening to a drunk customer ramble on about something, with that cool, placid expression on his face.

"Who're you staring at?" San-Li leaned close to Anna and followed her gaze. "Ooh, he's cute. What's his name?"

"No one! No one that I know!" Anna quickly looked away. "Just some guy I met, that's all."

"Oh?" A Cheshire grin spread across San-Li's face. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I flirted with him then?"

Fina shot her a look. "Don't you already have enough guy drama going on right now?"

"Well maybe it's time for a new contender." San-Li shot her a wink and sauntered over to the bar.

Anna chewed her lower lip anxiously as she watched them talk. San-Li gestured for Damien to lean close, whispered something in his ear, and he laughed.

"What the heck is she saying to him?" Anna hissed more to herself than Fina. "She already has Nathan and Sam falling over themselves for her, why does she need another guy?"

"Why do you care? I thought he was no one." Fina smirked.

"I don't." Anna said stubbornly. "I just-"

"Well he's single." San-Li grinned coming back over to them. "And very cute with the tightest little-"

"San-Li!" Fina cut her off with a heavy blush.

"Anyways, you should totally talk to him." San-Li continued. "He seemed pretty interested when I mentioned a certain novice magician getting her license for the first time."

"H-he did?" Anna blushed and cleared her throat. "Well I guess I didn't order a drink yet."

She stood up and forced herself to still her thumping heartbeat. It wasn't like she liked Damien or anything. It was just that she left him on sorta bad terms the last time she saw him and wanted to clear the air between them.

Anna sat at an empty stool (hoping that Joe wouldn't notice her) and waited for Damien to notice her. She kept her eyes on the menu so she wouldn't seem too eager to talk to him. A few minutes passed but he kept himself busy helping others. She was starting to think he was ignoring her on purpose when he finished serving drinks and starting cleaning the spot next to her.

"So you left the roof pretty quickly." He said gruffly. "Were you late to meet your boyfriend or something?"

"Or something." Anna shrugged nonchalantly. "I tend to stay busy and you seemed plenty occupied already."

"I had to have something to do waiting for you. Since you were late and everything."

Anna frowned. "Well I wouldn't say I was late since you never set a time to meet."

"Well I assume 'I would like to see you tomorrow morning' set a clear enough time."

"Obviously it didn't."

"Obviously you have no concept of time."

"Maybe I should just leave then."

"But you haven't even finished your drink yet."

"Um, are your sunglasses too dark? I don't have a drink yet."

Damien left to the end of the bar and came back with a tall glass of pink and orange bubbly liquid with sparks dancing across the top. He smiled and set it down in front of her. "You do now."

"It might take me a while to finish this." Anna tried the coy smile that Joleena taught her. "I might be at the bar all night."

"Oh great," Damien sighed dramatically. "Now I get to listen to your annoying chatter all night."

"Yep." Anna took a small sip and felt an electric shudder go through her entire body.

Damien chuckled at the face she made. "What's the matter? Don't tell me this is your first drink."

"No." Once the room came back into focus Anna took a bigger sip. "You just suck at making drinks."

Damien's teasing smirk made her knees go weak and she watched as he moved away to help another patron. Her eyes traveled over him. San-Li was definitely right about one thing… but too bad Damien was such a jerk.


	20. Reconciliation

Fred woke up with a throbbing headache and a dry mouth. He rolled over and saw that the other side of the bed was empty. For the first time since he and Fina started dating they went to bed without speaking and now it looked like this morning would be the same.

But then the balcony door slid open and Fina came into the room still wearing her pajamas. Their eyes met for a brief moment but before Fred could say anything she looked away first and went into the dresser for some clothes. Fred sighed and decided to finally break the silence.

"Good morning, Fina." He said levelly.

"Mmn."

Fred took a breath and tried again. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Mmhm."

She still wouldn't look at him, not even a glance. Fred felt his frustration mount. This was all that stupid Adrian's fault. Fina had never acted this with him before she met that prince jerk. Despite his headache, Fred got out of the bed and went over to her.

"Fina," he said softly, "I really don't want to fight anymore. I'm sorry about what happened yesterday, okay? It just freaked me out seeing you fall like that."

Fina huffed but still didn't look at him. "This isn't just about yesterday. You always act all jealous and treat me like a child or your possession and I'm getting tired of it."

"Jealous?" Fred frowned. "Okay, when have I ever acted jealous, or treated you like a child? Sure I'm a little protective of you-"

"A little?" Fina spun around to face him. "You're always trying to stop me from doing my job with Joe. And you get so irritable if I even mention going anywhere with him!"

"You leave for weeks with my best friend! How can I not get annoyed!?"

"Um, maybe by trusting me?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Fred held up his hands and forced himself to calm down. "Fina, where is this even coming from? Trust has never been an issue between us. What has that Adrian guy been putting in your head?"

"UGH!" Fina yelled and threw her hands up in frustration. "You aren't listening to a single word I'm saying are you? This is why I'm hanging out with Adrian so much! At least he understands me!"

There was a hesitant knocking on the door and they both froze. Both of them were flushed and Fred could feel his heart hammering in his chest. This fight was way worse than the one they had yesterday. Fina moved away first to answer the door and Fred saw San-Li waiting on the other side with Alex.

"Um hey?" San-Li said. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, I'll be out soon San-Li." Fina answered then promptly shut the door. "Look, I promised San-Li that I'd keep an eye on Alex for her today while she and Sam do something. But we really need to keep talking about this."

Her tone had softened considerably but Fred was still stinging from her yelling at him earlier. So instead of answering he quickly threw on some clothes, and left the room.

"Hey, you alright?" San-Li tried laying a hand on his arm, but he ignored her and brushed by briskly. Fred was now determined to find Adrian and figure out once and for all what was wrong with Fina.

* * *

Sam could feel his heart beating in excitement as he showed his special pass to Syrania's head of engineering and got the transportation he needed. It was a crude moped like vehicle with a sputtering engine that ran on a crystal that looked similar to the stone Fred gave to Fina.

"Now, this isn't exactly reliable." The aging engineer warned Sam. "Transportation spells are much more popular than these machines. Too bad too, if the palace gave me more funding I could build more of these for non-magic use."

"Thanks again for letting me borrow it. I should be able to return it tomorrow." Sam waved to the man and walked the vehicle away from the palace.

The plan was to meet San-Li outside the palace grounds near the apple orchard and from there they would make their way to the black market. Hopefully they could find the teleportation stones he needed and they could get out of there before anything dangerous happened.

"And maybe I can convince San-Li that we belong together." Sam smiled hopefully. "Then we can finally be a family again."

But it was about more than just their family. Sam was utterly in love with San-Li and refused to let Nathan take her away from him or let her walk away from all that they had together. So he rode the moped bike across the fields and through the small town until he came to the designated apple orchard. San-Li was leaning against a tree, dressed in all black with a leather jacket, heavy black eye liner, and a bag slung over her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow as Sam carefully braked to a stop and the engine sputtered out.

"That's our ride?" She eyed it skeptically. "Geez Sam, I thought you were supposed to be a genius inventor. That bike looks like you dug it out of a dumpster."

"Well I'm sorry the magic world isn't at the height of technology." Sam smiled and looked her up and down. "What's with the all black?"

"We're going to the black market duh. Gotta blend in don't I?"

"You know, technically speaking a black market isn't really a physical marketplace. It's more of the concept of illegally selling contraband goods through a network of-"

"Yeah well, in this black market is actually what it is." San-Li interrupted with a small laugh. "Filled with bad guys, shady vendors, and everything. So please tell me you aren't wearing that."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"It isn't… bad enough. We're going stick out like high privileged Syranian magicians. But I think I can fix that."

San-Li shrugged off her leather jacket and had Sam put it on instead. And then despite Sam's avid protests she spit into her hands and ran them through his hair, making it stick up more than usual. She stepped back to see the results.

"Hmm," She mused biting her lower lip. "Well, you certainly look… crazier. And definitely messier. But at least you don't look so squeaky clean."

Sam laughed and reached for hand. "Come on, let's just get going."

San-Li frowned and pulled her hand away but climbed onto the back of the moped, gesturing for Sam to get on behind her. He climbed onboard wrapping his arms firmly around her waist, and clung on for dear life as she revved up the engine and raced to the black market.

* * *

Fred found Prince Adrian with a few other people playing some kind of horse show game outside on the lawn. The prince even had the nerve to have another girl clinging to his arm.

 _How many girls is this dude trying to steal?_ Fred thought bitterly. Out loud he called, "Yo your highness! I have to talk to you!"

Three guards immediately surrounded Fred swords drawn. He swallowed nervously but refused to back down.

"No, no let him by." Prince Adrian said with a small chuckle. "He is lady Fina's husband. Sir Fred is always welcome to speak with me."

The guards continued to glower at Fred but stepped aside. Prince Adrian came up to him with a genuine smile but Fred wasn't buying it.

"What the heck have you been saying to my wife?" Fred said angrily. "Ever since she met you, she's been upset with me and acting crazy. I barely even recognize her anymore."

Prince Adrian frowned in confusion. "Is this so? I assure you Sir Fred, I haven't said anything out of the ordinary to your wife. We were just… talking."

"Oh yeah? About what?"

"Well um," Prince Adrian suddenly became evasive and he couldn't look Fred in the eye. "You know… just talking. I'm sorry Sir Fred, but I really can't divulge more than that. You'll just have to ask Fina for yourself. A prince cannot reveal a ladies secrets."

Fred grit his teeth and felt his fist clench. "Why you son of a-"

"Fred!" Suddenly Fina came storming over, with a reluctant Alex in tow, and stood between them. "Fred what the heck do you think you're doing?"

"I don't know!" Fred yelled in frustration. "I don't know what to do anymore, Fina! You're driving me crazy with this secretive crap! What are you hiding from me?"

Fina sighed and looked away. "You wouldn't understand."

"Because you won't tell me!" Fred lost his temper at last and roughly grabbed Fina's arm. The next thing he knew there was a golden glowing sword pointed directly at his throat.

"I must ask you to unhand the lady at once, Sir Fred." Prince Adrian said in a dead serious voice. "It is simply unacceptable to lay your hand upon her in anger."

"What?" Fred stared at Prince Adrian. "I would never, ever hurt Fina. How could you even think I would do something like that?"

"And I don't need you to protect me either Adrian." Fina pushed away the sword from Fred's neck and pulled herself out of his grip.

"I was only trying to protect you my lady." Prince Adrian apologized bashfully.

"I don't need protecting!"

"It isn't your job to protect her," Fred growled. "She's my wife so it's my job."

"That's it!" Fina screeched.

Everyone stopped and stared at her in shock at her outburst. She turned to Fred with fire burning in her eyes and got into a fighting stance.

"Okay Fred," She said in a low voice. "You and me are going to spar right here, right now so I can prove to you and everyone else here that I don't need protecting!"

Fred shook his head and frowned. "Fina, I'm not going to fight you. Come on let's go back to our room and talk about this like adults."

"No! You guys are always treating me like a kid. Now we're going to fight so I can finally prove to all of you that I'm not helpless!" She screamed.

"Fina please-"

Fred laid a hand on her arm to attempt to reason with her, but Fina grabbed his yanked him forward, then used a back kick to knock him to the ground. Fred felt the breath leave his body and he stared up wide eyed at Fina. She stood above him, her face stony with rage, ready to strike again.

"Get up." She said. "Get up and fight me. Fair and square."

"Fina," Fred stood up slowly, "sweetheart, you're upset right now. I'm not going to fight you. I love you and I wouldn't do _anything_ to hurt you. Not even to prove a point."

Some of the anger in Fina's eyes faded and she slowly lowered her arms. Fred breathed a sigh of relief and put his hands on her shoulders. She relaxed at his touch and a small, apologetic smile came to her lips.

"Besides," Fred chuckled. "I have like, a hundred pounds on you and I've been training with San-Li. It there's no way it'd be a fair fight."

Fina small smile disappeared and the fire returned to her eyes. The next thing Fred knew, Fina's fist shot into his stomach and he feel to his knees with a grunt of pain. He barely managed to dodge to the side as her foot then came slamming down in a downwards kick. He stared up at his wife and saw nothing but rage and resolved burning in her intense blue eyes. Only one thought crossed Fred's mind.

 _Uh-Oh. I'm in trouble._

* * *

As it turned out the black market was located in a valley, strangely in a something like a hidden trench. San-Li had them leave the moped at the base where the ground started to slope downward and they headed the rest of the way on foot.

The market place was bustling, nosy, and dark in the shade of the trench. Stalls and storefronts advertised everything and anything illegal including dark magic, potions, weapons, banned spellbooks, and history books, and scantily clad men and woman advertised sex from brothel doorways.

Sam stuck as close to San-Li as possible as they walked. The people surrounding them looked more than a little mean and he wouldn't have been surprised if they were in the midst of the Tenebrosi themselves.

"Try not to look too freaked out, okay Sam?" San-Li chuckled over her shoulder. "These goons can smell fear and will take advantage of it in a heartbeat."

"Sorry." Sam did his best to straighten up and stepped a little away from her but not too far away. They were still in a dangerous place after all. "So where do we find the teleportation stones?"

San-Li shushed him quickly and cast a cautious look around. "Not so loudly. Teleportation stones are rare even in the black market. The council banned them because they leave no magic trace and ordered them all to be destroyed."

"Oh." Sam lowered his voice and moved closer to her. "Then where are we going?"

"Right… here."

San-Li lead Sam into one the bars and he stopped right in his tracks. If the people outside looked bad, the people in here looked a thousand times worse. Nearly everyone had a weapon on them and nearly everyone had deadly looking scars. San-Li looked at him and gave him a teasing smirk.

"You aren't chickening out on me are you?" She teased.

"N-no." Sam did his best not to shake, "but maybe we should have brought Fred or Joe along. You know, for some extra back up."

"We'll be fine." San-Li chuckled. "You have me remember?"

Sam felt some of his panic lessen at her words. San-Li was a skilled ex-time thief and probably visited this place plenty of times. But then he noticed that she wasn't carrying her signature katana with her.

"Um, San-Li," He frowned, "Where's your sword?"

"Oh." San-Li head him over to the bar and sat down. "I left it back in my room."

"You what!?" A few people turned to look at him and he quickly dropped his voice to a whisper. "Why in the world would you do that? Did you forget where we were going today?"

"Well…" San-Li twirled a strand of hair in her finger, feigning a look of innocence. "I might have gotten into a bit of trouble with some people down here. Why do you think I'm wearing all this make up? I'm kinda on the down low and my sword is a bit of a dead giveaway."

Sam groaned and ran a hand over his face. "Are you kidding me? Do you realize how dangerous this is? Why did you agree to come out here in the first place?"

"Because you needed me." She rolled her eyes. "Duh. I'd do just about anything for you Sam."

Sam felt his heart melt at her words even though he told himself not to read too much into them. "Still, I would have felt a lot more comfortable about this if you brought some sort of weapon."

He felt something touch his knee and when he looked down he saw that San-Li was caressing Sam's knee with a black and red Kaiken dagger.

"Who said I didn't?" She whispered in a low voice.

Sam's heart was now hammering in his chest. San-Li had on that dangerous, slightly crazy smile that both attracted and frightened him. But before anything could happen San-Li giggled and moved the dagger away from his leg.

"Relax Sam, I got this." She gave him a cocky grin. "You're in good hands."

"You two going to order something or what?" The bar maid came over to them. "Because the love tavern is across the street."

Sam's face heated up with embarrassment but San-Li didn't even blink.

"Yeah, yeah." She said waved her hand dismissively. "Give us two icebergs and a plate of blue eggs. Then leave us alone because we're busy."

After the bar maid took their order and left, San-Li became more serious and business like. She leaned against the bar, watching the other patrons. Sam tried to mimic her relaxed pose and did the same. He felt his nervousness return when he noticed two sinister looking women with extremely long, sharp-looking black nails sitting in the corner.

"Don't stare at them." San-Li said quietly. "They look human, but they aren't. And that weird feeling you're getting? That's their dark magic you're feeling."

"Can we please just get the teleportation stones so we can get out of here?" Sam whispered back. "This place gives me the creeps."

San-Li started to say something but paused when the bar maid returned with two shot glasses filled with brown liquid and a large sphere of ice and a plate of small blue eggs. San-Li dropped a few of the eggs into her glass which caused them to fizzle and turn a transparent green color.

"We're waiting for someone." She said turning back to the patrons and taking a sip of her drink. "One of my old contacts from my thieving days. He used to frequent this place a lot. I told him that if I ever needed to meet him and I was in disguise to just look for a girl with green eggs in her drink."

"Oh."

Sam took a tentative sip of his drink which cause a large chill to go through his body. Even his glasses frosted up a little. San-Li giggled, took a sip of her drink, and blew a small frost cloud. Sam took another sip of his drink and did the same making her laugh again.

"Well if it isn't my old sweetheart." A short, balding fat man with a deep voice walked up to them. He was wearing a messy, beat up suit that looked like it had once been nice and there were tattoos all over his arms and neck.

"Deegan." San-Li grimaced and looked him up and down. "You look… fat."

"And you look ravishing as usual." Deegan chuckled and noticed Sam for the first time. "Who's he?"

"A friend." San-Li said quickly. "I know it's been a while, but do you still have those red rocks?"

"Rocks is my specialty love." Deegan sat down at the bar and flagged the bar maid down for a drink. "Peppermint Blue Jay and make it a triple. Heavy on the ice."

He then made them wait until he got his drink before speaking again. He took a long draught and leaned close to San-Li. "So tell me what you need from ol' Deegan love."

"Well…" San-Li pushed him away to give herself some space. "I was wondering if you had some more of those tele-stones. Even just a few of them would help me out."

"Tele-stones!?" Deegan burst out with a loud laugh. "You've got to be kidding me love! Those things have been banned and some people don't even believe they exist anymore. What makes you think I even have anymore?"

San-Li rolled her eyes impatiently. "Because I have money and you also specialize in finding things that don't exist. Now do you have want I need or not."

"Depends." Deegan grinned and leaned close to her, his eyes aimed at her chest. "Do you have what I need darling?"

" _Ahem_ ," Sam cleared his throat angrily. "It's a simple question Deegan, do you have what we need or not?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Deegan leaned back again and took a sip of his drink. "How badly do you want the stones?"

San-Li reached into the front of her top and pulled out a small draw string bag out of her bra. She opened the bag and took out a gold coin. "How does twenty, Syranian stamped, gold rubents sound?"

Deegan's drink sprayed out of his mouth and he stared at San-Li in shock. "H-how the bloody hell did you acquire those?"

"New connections." San-Li smirked. "So do you have what I need or don't you?"

Deegan quickly reached into the inside of his suit jacket and pulled out a roll of dark canvas. Quickly unrolling it, he revealed two rolls of five red stones strapped to the inside of the canvas.

"Ten tele-stones." Deegan breathed eagerly. "All for you love. I'll even through in my suit if you want."

"Ugh, no thanks." San-Li tossed the bag of coins at him and took the canvas roll, placing it inside her bag. "Come on Sam, let's get out of here."

But just as she and Sam got up from their stools and started to leave, the two woman with long black nails walked in front of them, blocking their exit. San-Li quickly tossed Sam her bag and protective stepped in front of him.

"Deegan," San-Li said in a low growl. "What the hell is going on?"

"Hehe, sorry love," Deegan's eyes held guilt and shame even as he gave her a cocky smile. "But these blokes have been on my arse for a few years now and wouldn't let up until I lead them to you."

The two women smiled at San-Li and Sam, and their nails extended down to the floor.

"The Tenebrosi Sanction sends their regards." One of them said before striking.

* * *

Everyone stood watching with a mixture of horror and amusement as Fred and Fina fought each other. Alex looked like he was having the time of his life and cheered Fina on. Fred did his best to dodge and avoid Fina's blows, but she was incredibly fast, even without shape shifting. That and he was afraid that any counter he made would end up seriously hurting Fina.

"Fina come on," He pleaded desperately. "This is ridiculous. We're married, why are we fighting?"

"You're not fighting me!" She yelled. "You're dodging me like a wuss!"

Fina aimed a right punch at him, but he covered her small fist with his much larger hand, doing the same when she threw a left punch. He then spread her arms, kicked her in the stomached, not hard enough to hurt her but to only push her back. She did stumble backwards, nearly falling down, but she quickly righted herself.

Fred circled her, looking for an opening in order to quickly and safely subdue her, but she kept her eyes trained on him, and circled him as well.

Suddenly, she ran towards him and aimed a high round house kick at his head which he narrowly managed to dodge. Before Fred could recover though, Fina was right back in his face again and threw a punch at his jaw. Her knuckles connected and the blow was a lot stronger than Fred was expecting. His teeth clicked painfully and stars danced before his eyes. There was a nasty coppery taste in Fred's mouth and he spit out a mouthful of blood.

"What is wrong with you!?" Fred yelled, fingering his busted lip. "Is this really what you want?"

"I want you to fight me!" Fina screeched, aiming another punch at his side. "I want you to treat me like your equal!"

She aimed another blow at his face, but this time Fred managed to grab her wrist. He used her momentum make her lose her balance, and sent her toppling to the ground.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Fina?" Fred growled, standing over her. "Because if we do, I won't hold back."

Fina smirked at him from the ground. "Good."

She then swept her leg out, knocking Fred off his feet. He rolled away though before Fina could land a pile driver. When her elbow made contact with the hard ground she gave a cry of pain and Fred felt his heart sink.

"Fina!"

Fred scrambled over to her, but Fina's leg shot out and she kicked him hard in the chest. He fell back but then retaliated with a drop kick that narrowly missed her.

"This has gone on far enough!" Prince Adrian yelled out in an authoritative voice. "You both are acting like demented children. I order you to stop at once!"

Fred ignored him though and so did Fina. Both of them were too hyped on adrenaline to stop now. But to Fred's surprise Fina raced towards a guard, and before the guard could react she grabbed his sword and faced Fred in a sword fighter's pose. Fred quickly grabbed a sword from another guard and turned to face her just as she swung at him. Their swords clashed with a metallic ring. Fred realized how serious this was getting and tried one more time to reason with his wife.

"Last chance Fina," He grunted. "You could seriously get hurt if we keep going."

Fina snarled at him before opening her mouth and spitting directly in his face. He reeled back in disgust as her spit temporarily blinded him and barely managed to duck as she swung her sword at him. He felt the air above his head whoosh and delivered a back swing towards her legs, determined to only cut the surface of her skin. But Fina jumped back and his blade only managed to slice skirt of her dress.

She raced towards him again, sword raised, and delivered a series of blows that Fred could only do his best to block. He still ended up with shallow cuts all over his forearms and kept being pushed back by her advances. Suddenly, their swords locked and before Fred could do react she reared back her fist and punched him square in the face.

"Agh!" Fred fell back, his sword flying out of his hands. Once his vision cleared, he reached for it, but Fina's sword blade thrust into the ground, barely an inch away from his hand. He started to get up, but Fina firmly planted her foot in the middle of his chest, keeping him pinned down. She removed her sword out of the ground and pointed it directly at his throat.

"Told you I could take you in a fight."

* * *

Somehow San-Li was able to get them out of the bar alive, but in the middle of the market, they ran into even more trouble. As it turns out the Tenebrosi, still stinging over losing Alex, had put a price on San-Li's head. Her arms were cut and bloodied from taking out the two nail women, but she had lost dagger. And then out in the square, about thirty assorted thugs, criminals, and assassins had Sam and San-Li surrounded, ready to take San-Li alive or dead. They stones wouldn't work because of the dark magic residue the nail women left when they cut San-Li, so she had forced Sam to run. He ran until he reached the moped.

"San-Li you idiot," Sam hurriedly started the engine. "You don't honestly believe that I'd let you do this by yourself do you?"

He disassembled a few parts from the moped, ripped part of his shirt off, and soaked the cloth in fuel from the gas tank. Sam then took out two tele-stones, some blue eggs he snagged from the bar, and wrapped each stone and some eggs in the fuel soaked clothed. With the moped parts he made a crude lighter, and drove the moped back into the marketplace.

The thugs were just about to attack San-Li, so he only had seconds to react. Using the crudely made lighter, he lit the fuel soaked bundles on fire, and threw them into the middle of the crowd. They exploded on impact with the ground, creating large, blinding pillars of blinding smoke. Sam pressed the side of his glasses, lowering specialized lenses, and immediately located San-Li among the blind and disoriented crowd. He revved up the moped and raced towards her, easily scooping her up on the handle bars as he drove.

"S-Sam?!" She cried out in amazement. "How did you-"

Sam grinned at her as he raced out of the black market. "Because you needed me, and I'd do just about anything for you San-Li."

* * *

Fred stared up in utter shock at Fina as he felt warm, sticky blood flow down his nose. Her hair was wild, her dress was ripped, and her body was covered in cuts and bruises. But the most incredible things was her eyes. The usually soft, baby blue was now an intense electrifying blue as Fina stared down at him with burning passion, anger, and pride.

Fred stared up at her in utter shock and felt himself smile. He was an idiot. An absolute total idiot. He had underestimated his wife in the worst way, and she had proven herself twice over.

"Okay, okay you win." He said softly, lifting his hands in defeat. Laughter built in the back of his throat. "You've definitely shown me, angel. I swear, things are definitely going to be different back home from now on."

Fina's intense look softened. "Really? Because I never meant to hurt you either Fred, I just needed you to understand that I'm not some weak little girl you need to protect all the time."

"Trust me, I've learned my lesson." Fred said up with a painful groan. "You are the most amazing, _strongest_ , and fiercest woman I have ever met and I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have got to marry you."

"Aww Fred!" Fina threw down her sword and threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him back again. "That's all I ever wanted you to hear you say!"

Prince Adrian made a noise of disbelief and shook his head. "I don't believe this. First you two are fighting and now you two are embracing? Are all normies this strange?"

Fred ignored him and focused on hugging Fina. He didn't care what Prince Adrian thought, things were finally right between him and Fina and that's all that mattered.

* * *

The sun was setting casting long shadows across the grass and bathing everything in dark orange. Unfortunately they had to take the long way to make sure none of the goons were following them. They rode about halfway to the inn before the moped finally gave out. It was going to be a long walk back so they decided to take a little break and lay in the grass to catch their breath.

Sam didn't know how it happened, but one minute he was explaining to San-Li exactly how his make-shift smoke bombs worked, and the next minute they were kissing. Really kissing. Deep, passionate kisses like they were hormonal teenagers again discovering sex for the first time. Sam had tried to pull away, ready to apologize and take the blame, but San-Li had buried her fingers in his hair and pulled him back in.

All thought and rationality slipped from Sam's mind as their mouths meshed together. All he could think about was how soft her body felt underneath him. His body blanketed hers and San-Li wrapped her arms around his shoulders to keep him close to her. Her leg then wrapped around his, tangling their bodies together.

"I missed you." Sam panted, slipping his hand inside her shirt. "I've missed you so much, San-Li."

He moved his mouth to the spot on her neck that he knew drove her crazy, eliciting a louder moan from her. His teeth nipped at her collarbone, making her arch her back.

"I- I missed you too." She gasped after a while. "I- I tried not to, but I missed you so much Sam."

Sam felt tears sting his eyes and he recaptured her lips in a deep kiss. He wanted to make love to her right then and there, despite how unsanitary it was, then take her back to his room and make love to her again and again. As if she was reading his mind, Sam felt San-Li's hand move down to the top of his pants.

"Do you want to go back to my room?" He asked breathlessly. "It'd be a lot more sanitary than out here."

San-Li nodded, but bit her lip anxiously. "Sam, here's nothing that I want more… but there's something I have to tell you."

"Anything." Sam smiled and gently fixed her shirt. "You can tell me anything San-Li."

"Sam… I slept with Nathan."

Sam's blood ran cold and the smile froze on his face. "W-what?"

"I'm sorry Sam, I'm so, so sorry! It just happened. We were doing research in the library, we started talking, and we went back to his room-"

"You slept with Nathan?" Sam's felt bile rise into his throat as he sat up and stared at San-Li. This words buzzed in his brain but he couldn't force himself to understand them. "You had sex with Nathan?"

"I didn't mean to, I was just so lonely."

"LONELY!?" The word exploded out of Sam's mouth as he jumped up. "You were lonely!? I was right here! I was always right here!"

"Sam please, it was a mistake!" Tears streamed down San-Li's face and she jumped up too. "I don't want to be with him, I want to be with you."

"Yeah now, but tomorrow? The day after that?" Sam felt hot, angry tears at the surface and turned away so San-Li wouldn't see. "I can't do this anymore San-Li. I can't handle this back and forth with you anymore."

San-Li called out his name but Sam was too angry to hear her. In all this time they had broken up, he had never so much as looked at another girl. He had waited for San-Li, sure that she would come back to him. But she obviously didn't wait for him.

"I love you!" San-Li screamed as he started to walk away with the moped. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you Sam!"

Sam forced himself to keep walking, even though tears raced down his cheeks. His voice came out a broken whisper. "I wanted that too."

 **A/N- Sorry for the super long chapter, but I made it extra good. Don't forget to leave an extra good review please and I hope you enjoy reading it.**


	21. Dark Magic

As a week passed Anna continually trained and meditated with Joleena from early morning to midafternoon. But then after lunch, Joleena let her roam around the palace and the convention freely. Most of that time she spent with either Damien or Cecilia or both of them. Especially Damien. Anna hated to admit it, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. Or fighting with him. Or both. There was just something about his stoic way, his slow steady smile, and even the way he scoffed at her that just made her heart flutter in her chest. But there's no way she'd go out with him. Damien was just too rude or impassive sometimes for her to deal with.

After a pretty intense work out with Joleena, Anna ended up covered with sweat she took a quick shower. But when she stepped out and checked the time she saw that she was running ten minutes late to meet Damien.

"Oh crap, I'm late." Anna mumbled, quickly tugging on a pair of jeans. "Damien's going to give me an earful."

Damien was sitting in one of the chairs with a book, but set it down when she came up to him.

"You're late." He said dryly before she had a chance to say anything.

"I know, I know." She sighed. "No need to lecture me. Again."

"It's not like you listen anyway." He chuckled. "Anywhere specific you want to go today?"

Anna smiled and felt herself grow warm from his laugh. "Anywhere you want to go."

"Awesome. There's a book store that I've been wanting to take you to."

"Another one?" Anna felt her smile fade a little. "You sure like books a lot."

Damien's smile also faded and he looked evasive. "I like reading. Losing myself in a story or history is better than dreary reality."

"Are you hungry?" Anna said brightly. "Because I'm starving. Let's get something to eat before we head to that bookstore."

Before he had a chance to respond, she quickly grabbed his hand and led him out of the inn. The longer she got to know Damien the more he seemed to open up to her and yet still remained largely secretive. Anna did learn though that when Damien started became invasive, it was best to tug him back to earth before he drifted away.

As they walked outside into warm air, Anna realized that she was still holding Damien's hand and felt her cheeks flush a little. She started to pull away, he threaded his fingers through hers and held on tightly.

"Thanks." He said simply.

"No problem."

* * *

After a particularly brutal training session with San-Li, Joe felt absolutely exhausted. That and he had been up late last night studying with Fina. Magic laws and time travel regulations were crowding together in his mind and he kept mixing them up. It was a good thing that Fina was both patient and persistent, otherwise Joe would have given up a long time ago.

When he reached his and Joleena's room, he heard the shower running and a wide grin spread across his face. If there was one thing that could make Joe feel better, it was Joleena. So Joe quickly shed his clothes and decided to join her. He slowly opened the bathroom door and drew in a sharp breath of amazement.

Joleena was standing under the spray of water completely and wonderfully naked. Her chocolate brown hair tumbled down her back with the weight of the water. Her head was tilted upwards to feel the full spray of the hot water and her full lips were parted in a contented sigh.

Trying to be as quiet as possible Joe snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She gave a small gasp of surprise but then relaxed in his arms, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

"Hey," She giggled breathlessly. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"That's because you're standing right under the spray." Joe carefully maneuvered himself so he could get under the spray as well. Unfortunately, sharing a shower wasn't as sexy as he thought it would be. Half of him was freezing without direct contact with the hot water. Joleena chuckled and playfully elbowed him.

" _Excuse-moi_ but I believe I was here first. Get your own shower."

" _Excuse-toi_ but this is my bathroom too remember?" Joe laughed. "So how was training with Anna?"

" _Bien._ How was your training with Fina?"

" _Ca-va_. We stayed up late last night studying the current magic laws and time travel regulations _._ " Joe cracked a huge yawn. "Then I had a sparring session with San-Li."

Joleena jumped with a small shriek when the water turned cold, but with a small flick of his wrist Joe reversed time so that the water remained hot.

"Few more minutes." He pleaded. "We don't get to do stuff like this too often."

"That's because it's half freezing." Joleena gave a small laugh and stepped out of the shower anyway.

Joe gave a mock sigh of disappointment and followed her out. "You're no fun."

"I know."

They wrapped themselves in a couple of towels and stepped out into their room to get dressed. As he put on his clothes, Joe watched Joleena carefully. Her usual graceful and confident movements were slightly sluggish and her eyes looked a little unfocused.

"So," He said slowly. "Did you ever talk to your mom again? You never did tell me what you guys talked about the first time."

Joleena visibly stiffened. "I did tell you. She was pretty busy so we kept things short. She's been busy ever since so we haven't spoken since."

"And your dad? Did you ever find out what was up with him?"

"No Joe I haven't!" Joleena snapped and turned to him with an annoyed look. "I haven't spoken or seen either of my parents in this past week so can you please just drop it!?"

Joe took in her tone behind her angry words and went over to her. He drew her into his arms and kept his voice soft and supportive. " _Calmer ma cherie._ I was only trying to help. Please don't snap at me okay?"

"I'm sorry," Joleena sighed, nestling into his chest. "It's just…worried. I haven't seen or heard from my dad all week and no one will tell me where he is. And to be perfectly honest my mother scares me a little."

"Well I'm sure your dad is just busy and your mom is a pretty intimidating woman."

"Ugh, sometimes I wish we could just warp back to New York and leave everyone else here."

Joe smirked. "We still could."

Joleena giggled and pulled away from him. "My father would bring me back in a heartbeat. Come on, let's head to the convention. The others are probably already there."

"Doubt it." Joe shrugged. "San-Li is paranoid about the Tenebrosi Sanction. Something about having a price on her head. Sam's been working nonstop on his inventions, and Fred and Fina are hanging out. So it's just going to be me and you I guess."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Joleena gave him a quick kiss and grabbed his hands. "I love you _mon amour._ "

Joe smiled and leaned his forehead against hers. " _Je t'aime aussi ma cherie._ "

The two of them stood with their arms around each, completely happy and at peace for once in what seemed like a long while. But then there was a high pitched shrieked and several shadows zipped past the window. They jumped apart in surprise and when they went to go check it out, an aftershock of air pressure shattered the windows.

* * *

Anna and Damien were walking close to the palace walls in the shade near the food vendors. They were in the less, magically powerful area of the convention, but it was just as bustling and busy. Their hands were still laced together and his thumb was absentmindedly caressing the back of her hand, sending faint shivers up her arm.

"So are you nervous about tomorrow?" He asked. "It's your little demonstration with the high and mighty."

"The high and mighty?" Anna chuckled. "You sound like my brother's friend San-Li, and no I'm not nervous. I once survived a luncheon with the Beauchenes you know."

"Ooh scary." He shuddered teasingly.

Anna giggled. He gave a soft smile and looked down at her through his ever present dark sunglasses. Strange, in all this time she had been spending with him, Anna had never seen Damien without them.

"Hey Damien," She started. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Damien face became cautious and he looked away. "But what if you don't like the answer?"

Anna blinked but before she could say anything, a shadow zoomed overhead. She looked up and suddenly, several dark shapes flew through the air. When they circled lower Anna could see they were the same large birds, black volucris, which attacked the throne room Anna's first day here.

Other people noticed the large birds and a panic broke out. Everyone starting screaming and running for shelter, and the royal defense magicians were alerted. With loud, ear shattering screeches the black volucrises opened their mouths and fired the icy black, blasts fired from their mouths and exploded everywhere. The royal magicians and guards tried to use their magic to fight back and shield people, but more and more volucrises arrived and within minutes the air seemed to be filled with them. Hundreds of them. The very air around them seemed to drop several degrees as the ground was bombarded with their cold, dark magic.

"You have to get out of here Anna, it isn't safe!" Damien yelled above the noise.

"Are you kidding me!?" Anna yelled back. "I have to help these people!"

"What!?" He grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're a time traveler and a diviner, you can't fight these things!"

"I've fought them before and I'm doing it again!"

And with that Anna yanked herself out of Damien's grip and took off, filling her hands with magic.

" _Obligandi catenulis interposuit!"_ She yelled.

Glowing pink chains fired from her hands and managed to incapacitate several of the birds long enough for the royal magicians to destroy them. But there were so many more volucrises than they could take out. That didn't stop Anna from trying though.

" _Extensum catenulis interposit!"_

The magic in her hands now transformed into long, whip-like chains that she had seen Joleena use many time. A black volucris streaked towards her, its mouth opened wide in a terrifying screech. Anna managed to dodge to the side, but the very tip of its wing managed to cut her shirt. Regardless, Anna managed to get wrap one edge of the chain around the volucris's neck. Planting her feet, she barely managed to hang on as it dragged her across the ground, through the crowd of terrified people. The other chain she used to shot at the volucrises around her, killing them on impact. A wave of exhilaration went through Anna. This was so much better, and those stupid birds were being destroyed left and right. She finally felt as powerful and strong as Joleena.

Suddenly, there were several even more powerful explosions all around her in different shades and colors. Among the chaos, Anna saw the other more powerful magicians had finally come to the rescue, Joleena and her brother included. Them, plus the royal defense magicians were finally able to get most of the volucrises under control.

Without warning the volucris she was using suddenly veered upwards, yanking Anna off her feet. She jerked back on the chain in an attempt to control it, but her panic caused her to break her own magic. Now separated from the giant bird, Anna was sent falling back to earth. The volucris swerved straight into the palace wall, exploding on impact, and the breath was knocked out of Anna's lungs as she hit the ground, knocking her into a daze.

The explosion from the volucris's impact caused large pieces of concrete debris to rain down. Anna gasped and brought her arm up to protect her head, unable to move.

But then there was streak of black shadow followed by a cool gust of air and Anna found herself in Damien's arms. She gasped when she saw him. His pale skin was now tan, his features more angular, and the sunglasses were gone revealing bright orange eyes. But most shocking of all were the two black, shadowy wings protruding from his back.

"D-Damien!?" Anna stuttered.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way Anna." He whispered.

Just before the large pieces of debris hit them, Damien thrust up his hand sending out a blast of dark magic that completely shattered the debris. Smaller fragments rained down on them but Anna couldn't stop staring at Damien. Those wings. Those eyes. Now Anna knew exactly why Damien looked so familiar.

Damien was, some way, some how, related to the shadow man and woman who kidnapped Joleena.

"Anna," Damien slowly lowered his arm and searched her face. "I know what this may look like but please-"

"A shadow mage! Arrest him immediately!"

There was a cry of outrage and Damien was suddenly swarmed by dozens of guards, Anna pulled from his arms.

"Anna!" Joe grabbed her by the shoulders and peered into her face. "Anna are you alright!? Did he hurt you?"

Anna could only shake her head mutely. She watches as Damien retracted his wings and held his arms up in a sign of surrender. That didn't stop the guards though from violently knocking him to the ground, bind him in inhibitors, and haul him away. Their eyes met for a brief moment until Damien was dragged into the palace, the doors shutting behind them with a resounding thud.

Damien was a shadow mage. A dark magic wielder. And Anna may have fallen in love with him.

 **A/N- Don't forget to review please**


	22. Criminal Charges

**A/N- Sorry, slow updates because of school finals.**

Anna lay awake late that night, her mind still struggling to process what happened. Damien was a shadow mage, the same as the shadow man and woman who kidnapped, tortured, and possessed Joleena. The shadowy wings, the black magic and the bright orange eyes proved it.

But at the same time, he wasn't like them. The shadow man and woman gave off a feeling of eeriness and coldness. Damien was cold, but a different coldness, like the first night of fresh, gently falling snow. And he was so calm and self-assured, like nothing in the world bothered or mattered to him. Except when he protected her. Then his bright orange eyes held tenderness and concern for her.

There was a sudden tapping on the door and Anna jumped out of bed, already fully dressed. She threw open the door and found San-Li waiting impatiently on the other side. She was wearing simple clothing, avoiding the color black, and her arms were still heavily bandaged from her own encounter with the Tenebrosi.

"I was worried you wouldn't show." Anna said.

"I hope you appreciate how dangerous this is." San-Li replied moodily. "If either one of us gets caught we'll be labeled as accomplices."

"Accomplices to what?" Anna hissed sharply. "Damien didn't do anything but protect me and save my life!"

The barest smirk came across San-Li's lips. "Come on squirt, let's go visit your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." Anna mumbled but obediently followed after her.

They made their way across the dark lawn to the palace. Anna used her astral projection to make sure the coast was clear, the event earlier in the day made security tighter and more paranoid. There weren't even any night classes or tours going on. San-Li headed towards the back most wall of a more secluded building, separate from the palace and had Anna remove several large, loose stones from the base. They found their way inside through more loose stone near a bush.

Syranian dungeons. Cold, dark, gloomy, and hidden mostly out of sight of the palace. Anna shuddered to think that Damien was locked up somewhere inside here.

"Any idea where he could be?" She whispered.

"Probably the lowest room." San-Li whispered back. "Shadow mages and black magicians are considered the worst kind of criminals in the magic world. Even if they've never actually broken a law."

Anna frowned. She knew black magic was bad and most people who used it were evil, but what if you were born with it? San-Li stopped walking suddenly and pressed them back against an alcove. A guard walked past without seeing them, carrying an empty tray of food. They waited until he turned a corner before going in the direction he came from.

Two flights of stairs and a long hallway later, Anna and San-Li found themselves in front of a heavy barred door. San-Li picked the lock open but then stepped aside.

"Do what you have to do," she said gently. "I'll keep watch and signal when we have to jet."

Anna nodded vaguely, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside the cell. A lone figure was kneeling on his knees, his arms held up by chains. Damien looked up at the sound of her footsteps and she had to hold back a sob. The guards had beaten him bloody. One eye was swollen shut, his lip was busted, and there was dried blood caked around his nose. But his lips still lifted in a soft yet slightly sardonic smile.

"I thought you'd be far away by now." He mumbled. "What brings you to my cozy little corner?"

"Shut up." Anna said sharply. Her heart was thrumming in her chest and her hands shook. "Who are you really? Were you just leading me on this entire time?"

Damien's face became downcast. "No Anna. I was never trying to lead you on or deceive you."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Anna moved closer to him and knelt in front of him. "For Pete's sake, you had a cloaking spell on the entire time I knew you!"

Damien lifted his face until it was close to hers, their noses almost touching. She felt his warm breath fan across her lips and she resisted the urge to lean forward. His bright orange eyes reminded her of the sun at sunset as they searched hers.

"I'm not worthy of your attention, nor your affection Anna." He whispered. "I'm a shadow mage. I was born with this magic and I am cursed to wield it. There's no need for you to be shadowed by my darkness."

Anna felt her throat burn and she looked away from his gaze. "There… there was a man and a woman with the same eyes and the same powers as yours. The worked for a dark organization called Tenebrosi Sanction and kidnapped my mentor Joleena and tried to kidnap me. Did you know them?"

"They're my parents." Damien whispered.

Another sob escaped Anna's lips and hot tears spilled down her cheeks. The truth was like a stab in the gut.

"But I can't say I know them." Damien continued. "I ran away and went to live with my estranged, non-magic bearing aunt and uncle when I was eight. They raised me and kept me hidden the best they could but my magic continued to grow. I came here in an attempt to talk to the king and hoped for some leniency for not just myself but for them too."

"Really?" Anna turned back towards him to look him in the eye. "So you have no affiliation with them or the Tenebrosi?"

"I haven't spoken to them or seen them since I left. I've never wanted anything to do with dark magic or the people who use it."

Anna's breath left her in a sigh of relief and the next thing she knew, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

"Anna!" San-Li whispered sharply. "Change of guards. We gotta go!"

Anna broke the kiss quickly and jumped up, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Damien had a small smirk on his lips, but there was also a small blush on his face as well.

"I'll figure something out, I promise." She said then quickly left with San-Li.

* * *

The next morning the palace was in an uproar. It seemed like everyone was crowed in the trail room. All members of the council and their aids, sat in their section heatedly debating about what to do. The flock of volucris had made the first day's attack no longer seem like an isolated incident. It was clear now that some force was trying to send Syrania, or even the entire Magic Council, a message and they were taking it serious.

Again Anna sat in the second row between Joe and Joleena, her stomach churning. But now instead of being nervous for herself, she was terrified for Damien. There was no doubt in her mind that they would blame Damien even though he had nothing to do with it.

"All hail, King Apollos!" The herald cried out and opened the door at the front.

The king strode into the room and the noise only got louder. But then he waved his arm and an uneasy hush fell over the people. He sat down on his throne, a serious look on his face, and signaled the herald.

"Bring in the accused!" The herald cried.

A ripple of angry murmuring went through the crowd as the double doors burst open and Damien was brought in. Anna nearly leapt out her seat when she saw him. In the light of day Damien looked even worse than he did last night. Joleena placed a hand on top of hers to keep her seated and gave her a sympathetic look. But Joe was a little less sympathetic.

"Are you sure we should be here?" He whispered. "For all we know he could be working for the Tenebrosi Sanction!"

"That isn't true!" Anna said fiercely. "He blew his cover to save my life yesterday!"

"Or he was just trying to earn your trust and sympathy."

" _Arretez!"_ Joleena hissed. "It's not up to us either way. The council will decide his fate."

The guards led Damien to the front and stood beside him. Several angry shouts rose from the crowd again. The herald pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and cleared his throat.

"The young man before you has been found guilty of being a shadow mage!" He yelled out. "He also stands accused of being the cause of calling those accursed volucris to our beautiful Syrania, during the Bi-Annual Magic Convention, in an attempt to wage war."

"That's not true!" Anna yelled, but her voice was drowned out by everyone else yelling accusations. King Apollo tapped scepter on the floor to quiet the room, then nodded for the herald to continue.

"To speak on his behalf are his aunt and uncle, the owners of the Red Bottle Tavern!"

A new set of guards led a middle aged, terrified couple down the room to stand at the front as well. Their eyes were creased with worry and the woman's eyes were red and wet. King Apollo nodded for them to speak.

"We beg the Council to have mercy on out nephew," Damien's uncle said. "He's a good boy and would never use his shadow magic for evil. It was something he was born with, he didn't have a choice-"

"Why are we even discussing this matter?" A Council Member interrupted impatiently. "We have irrefutable proof that this young man is a shadow mage, what else is there to do but sentence him to utter banishment and removal of his magic."

"Please don't, it would kill him!" His aunt cried out tearfully.

"Damien was born with this magic," His uncle explained desperately. "There would be little chance of him surviving the process."

"All the better for us." The Council Member said cruelly.

"Please!" The aunt cried out again. "He's been under our watchful eyes for years without incident. We swear he's good!"

There were shouts of disbelief among the crowd and Council Members. The king sat silently, thinking and taking in everything for a few, long, agonizing minutes. But then he tapped his scepter on the floor to silence the room.

"We have no proof that the boy sent the volucris to Syrania." He said. "However, being a shadow mage is a great enough offense. While your efforts to protect your nephew are admirable, you yourselves have no magic so you would be powerless to stop him if he did decide to turn against you. So unless anyone else would be willing to account for him…"

King Apollo was giving an out for Damien, but it was clear from the mood of the room that no one wanted to take that risk. Damien hadn't moved or said a word this entire time, but now his eyes found Anna's. He held her gaze for a long moment before giving her a small defeated smile, as if he was already saying goodbye. But Anna gasped as a sudden thought hit her.

"Joleena!" She grabbed her arm and gave her a pleading look. "Joleena please, say you'll do it!"

" _Excuse moi_?" Joleena raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Do what exactly?"

"Take responsibility for him!" Anna cried desperately. "Please, your name is in good standing and I know Damien wouldn't do anything to harm anyone."

Joe frowned at her. "Anna you're crazy. Joleena can't-"

"Yes she can! She take him on as her assistant or student or something." Anna felt tear fill her eyes as she stared up at her. "Please Joleena, please I've never asked for anything big from you!"

Joleena closed her eyes and sighed. "Anna-"

"Please!"

Joleena opened her eyes and stared at Anna for a long time, before standing on her feet.

"I'll accept responsibility for the young man." She announced.

The crowd was stunned into silence before heavy whispering spread throughout the room. The king look at her in confusion while Damien looked shocked.

"Miss Beauchene." King Apollo said gently. "I don't think you fully understand the gravity of this situation."

"I understand perfectly your majesty," Joleena said. "But from what I understand this young man saved my student's life so it's only right that I return the favor. Besides, I've handled dark mages before and I am quite capable of handling him myself if he becomes aggressive."

King Apollo considered this for a moment before nodded towards the Council. "What does the Council think?"

The Council Members talked among themselves and it was hard to tell which way they were thinking. But then Victoria Coupe cleared her throat and stood. Anna felt Joleena tense up which she took as a bad sign. But Victoria announced that the Council was in favor of the arrangement, despite various misgivings.

"Then it is settled." King Apollo announced. "The young man will be released into Miss Joleena Beauchene's custody from here on out. She will be responsible for him and be held accountable for any of his actions, if he were to get out of line. So rules King Apollo of Syrania."

He tapped down his scepter several times to punctuate his final ruling, and nodded for the guards to take Damien away. Anna breathed a sigh of relief even as the rest of the room seemed upset that Damien was getting off scot free.

"Thank you." Anna whispered to Joleena.

"And now the next matter at hand," The herald cleared his throat and took out another piece of paper. "Sir Jeremy Beauchene, on trial for unlawful mind control and the attempted murder of a non-magic wielder."

An astonished gasped went through the room as the double doors slammed open and a new prisoner was lead into the room. Joleena spun around and visibly paled. Anna looked and saw Mr. Beauchene, bound in magic inhibitor chains, was being lead to the front of the room by guards. Joleena's jaw dropped.

"Daddy!?"


	23. Sentencing and Deals

Guilty. Jeremy Beauchene was declared guilty of unlawful mind control and attempted murder. Nothing Joleena said could persuade them and Victoria Coupe had long since left the room.

The sentence was immediate removal of all magic and memories associated with magic, as well as permanent banishment from the magical world. Joe had to physically restrain Joleena from attacking the King. Turns burned hotly in her eyes and her entire body was shaking. Joe kept his arms around her and stroked her hair, but even he felt shaken.

After the sentencing they took Mr. Beauchene away to another room for the removal process. Joleena was escorted to the dungeons to speak with him one more time before his mind was practically destroyed. She went inside the room with guards to make sure that she didn't try to rescue him, and stayed in there for what seemed like hours. When she came out her face was pale, tears streamed down her face, and the light was gone from her eyes.

Joe reached out to her. "Joleena, I-"

"I have to marry Christophe." She whispered. "Tomorrow."

"Wait?" Joe froze and stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"That was the arrangement!" Joleena cried out tearfully. "They agreed to let my father take the blame in exchange for me agreeing to marry Christophe."

"But that doesn't make sense, why would your father need you to marry Christophe?" Joe asked furiously.

Joleena slumped miserably against the wall. "Sir Eadburt wants us to sire children with his family's royal lineage and my family's magic lineage."

"That won't happen." Joe growled.

"No, it won't." A small smile came to Joleena's lips even as her eyes filled with fresh tears. "When my father made this deal, he had a vision of my children Joseph. Our children. Our little girls. They had such beautiful magic and your green eyes and smile."

An image flash briefly before Joe's mind. Two little girls and a baby with curly brown hair, his green eyes, and freckles.

"I don't understand." Joe said slowly. "If your father had a vision of our children, why would he marry you off to Christophe?"

"To protect me. To protect us." Joleena reached out and held his hands in hers. "If it wasn't for my magic, I would have never met you. Taking away my memory of magic takes away my memory of you."

Joe sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I still don't understand… but I don't think we have a choice."

"And I could always divorce him afterwards." Joleena sighed. "It's not the ideal situation but-"

"It's the best we got." Joe finished.

* * *

The wedding was something incredible to behold. It was held outside with flowers and lace everywhere. Joe would have found it beautiful if his girlfriend wasn't marrying someone else. Many people were excited about the wedding, eager to forget about the volucris attack yesterday, but Joe and the others were a distance away overlooking the field from a balcony in the palace. Joe wanted no part of the wedding, but he still wanted to keep an eye on Joleena just in case.

"I can't believe you're letting her marry someone else!" Fred said angrily. "Why are we not stopping this!?"

"We have our reasons." Joe said in a quiet, serious voice. "Now stop asking."

He hoped the conversation would stop there, but Fred kept going.

"I'm just saying we should crash the wedding and mess things up." He continued. "Just give the word and me, San-Li, and Fina will-"

"Fred. Shut. Up."

Fred mumbled something under his breath but at least he stopped talking. A hush fell over the crowd underneath them as the bridal song began. Joleena began walking down the aisle in an elegant white wedding dress with Anna by her side. Joleena looked up behind her and her eyes met Joe's for a brief second. He gave her a smile and a nod and she continued down the aisle towards Christophe who was smiling smugly like he had won.

The preacher spent a long time going over the vows and the rings were exchanged. Joe couldn't hear exactly what they were saying but then Christophe said a few words, then Joleena mumbled a few words. Joe's fists tightened when Christophe leaned in and kissed Joleena on the lips.

Suddenly there was a bright yellow flash in the sky and suddenly the air was filled with a different type of volucris. These birds were bright yellow and red with burning green eyes. Blasts of fire shot out of their mouths and began destroying everything in sight. Their screams mixed with the screams of the people.

"We have to get down there now!" Joe yelled.

They all made their way out of the palace and onto the lawn. It was utter chaos as people ran screaming. Fire and smoke filled the air.

"Joleena!" Joe cried out. "Are you okay?"

Joleena smiled when she saw him and Joe suddenly froze. Joleena in a wedding dress with smoke and flames behind her. Joe's vision had just come true.

"We have to get out of here!" Sam cried. "In case you two haven't noticed, there is fire and things exploding everywhere!"

"But where are all these volucris coming from?" Anna asked.

"Look!"

Joe pointed into the sky and the largest volucris they had seen yet, was hovering high in the sky. Mad Jack sat on top of it, smiling triumphantly.

"All hail the Tenebrosi Sanction!" He cried.

 **A/N- Writing style change for this story. Short, concise and to the point. One chapter then the epilogue and then this story is finished.**


	24. Prepare for Battle

"All hail the Tenebrosi Sanction!" Mad Jack cried triumphantly, touching down on the ground. All the volucris who were destroying the wedding touched down as well.

"Fiend!" King Apollo yelled. "How dare you show your face in my kingdom? What business do you have here?"

" _We_ have business with the wannabe Warp Wizard." A new voice said. A pillar of dark purple smoke rose from the ground and Antonia stepped out.

Joe stepped forward and pulled Joleena protectively behind him. "You're insane to come here. This place is filled with powerful magicians and mages. Kill me if you want, but there are a thousand of them ready to take you out."

Mad Jack glanced behind him and visibly paled at the sight of all the powerful magicians. But Antonia merely scoffed and snapped her fingers. As if on cue all of the volucris opened their mouths and released an ear shattering scream.

"And the Tenebrosi has plenty more where these came from." She said. "So yes, you magicians may be able to defeat us and all of the volucris here, but will you be able to defeat the next wave we the Tenebrosi sends out?"

Joe and the King exchanged a look. It what Antonia was saying was true then the Tenebrosi could send out wave after wave of volucris until there was nothing left.

"What do you want with me?" Joe asked.

"Why, the same thing I've wanted from you for over ten years Joseph," Mad Jack smiled. "The Book. The Tenebrosi have big plans for both this world and our home world dear nephew, and that Book happens to be the key gateway to both worlds."

Joe blinked in surprise. "What?"

"He's said too much already." Antonia threw Mad Jack a sharp look then turned back to them. "Although you don't have much a choice, we've been ordered to give you two hours to decide. And for every minute after that we have to wait…"

Antonia held out her hand and fired a blast of dark magic that disintegrated what was left of the wedding chapel. Mad Jack chuckled.

"We'll be awaiting your answer dear nephew."

* * *

The king had everyone herded into the palace for their protection and safety while he and the council went into another room to discuss things. Joe, Joleena and the others stood off to one side to discuss things among themselves.

"What did Mad Jack mean by The Book being the key gateway to both world?" Joe asked out loud.

"Well, you know that The Book contains the space time continuum and yet people don't need it to travel through time right? It works the same way regarding different worlds. Without the existence of The Book, no one could travel between worlds." Fina explained.

Fred scratched his chin in thought. "So if Mad Jack and the Tenebrosi get their hands on The Book-"

"Then the Tenebrosi could take over any world they wanted to." Sam finished.

"We definitely can't let that happen." Joe said. "But I don't hand over the Book, they send out more of those things until they destroy Syrania."

"Looks like we'll just have to fight them." San-Li smirked.

Everyone looked at San-Li like she was crazy so she sighed and further explained herself.

"We and the rest of these powerful magicians could take out Mad Jack, Antonia, and the rest of their bird army right now." She said. "It'll take a while for the Tenebrosi to catch on and by the time they realize what happened and send more volucris, we can build and train a better army and-"

"Keep fighting endlessly until we all die." Sam said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Brilliant plan San-Li that sounds like an excellent choice. Start a war between Syrania and the Tenebrosi Sanction."

Everyone looked at Sam in surprise while San-Li glared at him, but the idea resonated with Joe. What San-Li said made a lot of sense. The normal world couldn't handle any type of magic attack and this was the time where all the magicians and mages were in Syrania.

"Actually, that does seem like our best option." Joe mumbled. "Fina?"

"Organizing wars have sometimes been the duty of the Warp Wizard." She said softly. "I can lend my assistance of course…on the field or off."

The last part she added looking at Fred. Joe immediately noticed Fred's eyes widen in panic and his fists clenched, but he didn't say anything. The door to the room where the council and the king was talking and the king strode out, heading towards them.

"The council has decided and feels that it is best to give into their demands." King Apollo said. "But The Book is rightfully yours so you must make the final decision. We are ready to follow your lead."

Joe bit his lip in thought and looked at his friends around him. They were all looking towards him, waiting. Trusting. He felt the pressures of both worlds pressing down on him. He didn't feel ready for this… responsibility. He didn't feel powerful enough. Heck, he couldn't even prove to the council that he could be Warp Wizard let alone…

" _Mon amour?"_ Joleena said softly, touching his hand. "I want you to know, no matter what you decide, I will stand by your side."

"Ditto!" Anna said brightly. "We've fought against the Tenebrosi before and we can do it again big bro."

"And I'm ready to follow your orders as well, sir." Fina said with a small bow and a smile.

"Just say the word." San-Li smirked and Alex nodded eagerly.

"You got this dude." Fred smiled giving him a thumbs up.

"You know what's best, Joe." Sam said quietly. "We've got through worse because of you."

Joe felt tears fill his eyes and he quickly looked away so they wouldn't see. He took a couple of quick, deep breaths before turning to the king.

"Tell all of the strongest magic yielders to be ready." He said. "We're going to fight the Tenebrosi Sanction."

* * *

They had about a half hour left before their deadline so they broke up into small groups to discuss things. If things went right, the next talk they'd have would be planning for a war. If things went wrong, they would be lucky if they died.

Fred held Fina tightly in his arms, feeling his heartbeat pound heavily in his ears. He was planning on fighting with her, but who knows what could happen in the heat of things? Or if too many of those weird birds jumped her at once? Or if he got too injured or-

"If we get separated during the fight for even a second-" He started.

"I'll fight my way back to your side." Fina whispered feeling tears sting behind her eyes. "I love you so much Fred."

Fred kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Angel."

* * *

Alex glared daggers at San-Li even as he struggled to blink away tears.

"I don't care if you look at me like that, Alex." San-Li said sternly. "I'm telling Joe to send you back home and Sam is going with you. You're too young and too inexperienced for this. Both of you."

"Great, so do you want to get you a pen and paper?" Sam said angrily. "You know, so you can write something to our children before you go off and die like some stupid, gun hoe hero!?"

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" San-Li glared heatedly at him. "You know I have to do this! Why do you even care anyway? You're done with me remember?"

"I still love you, you infuriating woman!" Sam nearly shrieked. "Yes I was upset with you, part of me still is, but that doesn't mean I ever stopped loving you!"

San-Li froze in surprise. "B-but I thought- you said-"

Sam made a noise of impatience and pulled San-Li in for a loving kiss. They pulled apart slowly and he held her in his arms.

"Don't make me live without you." Sam whispered tearfully. "Don't let our children grow up without ever really knowing their mother."

San-Li's eyes filled with tears and she looked away. "I have to do whatever Joe orders me to do. I owe him that remember?"

"I know," Sam pulled her into a hug again. "I know."

* * *

"You're too young Anna." Joe frowned. "I'm sending you back home to mom and dad."

"Don't give me that bull crap, Joe." Anna said stubbornly. "I'm not a kid and I took out a few volucris by myself yesterday remember?"

"Yeah and you almost got killed." Joe sighed. "Fine you stay. But if I give the word, you find cover immediately understood?"

"Yes sir." Anna gave him a mock salute.

Joe smiled and refused the urge to cry again. His little annoying sister was growing up to be a stubborn, powerful woman. A door opened on the far side of the room and Joleena came in, having just changed out of her wedding dress. She smiled at Joe, but there was still an eternal sadness in her eyes.

"Ready _mon amour_?" Joleena asked.

Joe took a breath and looked over at his friends. Fred and Fina were holding each other tightly. Sam, San-Li, and Alex were talking together quietly. Sam looked pale and agitated and was shaking his head vigorously. It amazed Joe how both young and old they seemed now. Fred and Fina had just gotten married not that long ago and were planning a family. Sam and San-Li already had a family and looked like had gotten back together.

And yet, Joe could remember a time when they were all in his living room, just goofing off. It seemed like yesterday and years ago at the same time.

"Yeah I'm ready." Joe said and waved the others over.

"Joe, before we do anything I need you to send Sam and Alex home." San-Li said. "This is too dangerous for Alex and Sam needs to be there for the twins in case… I'm not."

"Okay," Joe nodded and pulled out The Book. "But first, I need you and Fina to do something important for me."

San-Li and Fina exchanged a look and stepped. "Order away, Joe."

Joe licked his dry lips and waved a hand over them. " _Dormir."_

San-Li and Fina gasped in surprise and started to protest before their eyes flashed green and they instantly fell into a deep sleep. Fred and Sam were barely able to catch them before they fell.

"Hey!" Fred exclaimed in surprise. "What was that for?"

"I'm sending you home." Joe said. "All five of you."

"But, but," Sam stammered. "I thought you needed them. You can't do this alone."

"And you have two young children and Alex to raise." Joe said seriously then turned to Fred. "And you and Fina are trying to have children of your own. You guys deserve that chance."

Fred stared at him. "But what about you? You aren't seriously considering trying to do this alone are you?"

Joe glanced at Anna and Joleena and smiled. "I've got two of the most powerful female magicians on my side. I'll be fine."

Fred and Sam still tried to argue, but Joe held up his hand. "I've made up my mind guys. I couldn't live with myself if _any_ of you got hurt. This is for the best."

Fred and Sam exchanged another unsure look, but nodded. "If you're sure Joe… promise you'll come back to us though?"

"Promise."

Joe smiled and opened The Book. He and his best friends shared one more smile before the green mist wrapped around the five of them and warped them. Joe's chest constricted and his stomach churned, but he knew he did the right thing.

"I guess it's just us, now." Joe turned to Anna and Joleena. "Let's kick some Tenebrosi Sanction butt."

 **A/N- My bad, there's one more chapter after this and then the epilogue and this story is over.**


	25. Battle of the Volucris

Mad Jack and Antonia waited impatiently for Joe to hand over The Book so they could report back to the higher ups. Mad Jack was uneasy around Antonia. He was mad sure, but there was something darker about Antonia. And crazier. She stood glaring at the palace as if she could burn it down with her very eyes.

"So," He said, trying to fill the silence. "How long have you been with the organization?"

"We're not here to talk, we're here to get The Book." Antonia growled.

"Ugh, I don't understand why we can't just go in there and take it. We have all this!" Mad Jack gestured to the small army of volucris behind them. "He's just one person."

"One very powerful person and an entire conglomerate of magicians." Antonia mumbled fingering a dark marking on her neck. "And don't underestimate your nephew. He's a lot more powerful than you think."

Mad Jack frowned and went back to watching the palace doors. Joe hadn't gotten _that_ powerful had he? He had known him since he was a puny little runt for goodness sake! Joseph was just too slippery for him to catch all those years ago.

Suddenly, Mad Jack's pocket watched started beeping. A wicked smile spread across his face.

"Looks like time's up dear nephew." He smirked and turned to Antonia. "Shall we rip The Book from his hands now?"

He expected Antonia to be excited, or at least look ready to go, but instead she was peering at the palace with a suspicious look on her face.

"Antonia-"

"Something's not right." She cut him off. "I can feel something happening. I think-"

The ground suddenly exploded in a bright yellow burst of light. Mad Jack screamed as he was thrown back from the eruption and his scream mixed with several of the volucris as they were destroyed. Then the air was filled with even more explosions, smoke, and bursts of magic.

"Get up you fool!" Antonia shrieked at him. "Get back on your blasted bird and attack! If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get!"

* * *

Christophe and a few others sent another shock wave of yellow magic through the ground. Joe was relieved to see that the first explosion had killed a section of the volucris, but he wished that it had been more. From the balcony Joe signaled for the weaker magicians hidden on the roof to start firing more magic in order to confuse them. He saw Mad Jack attempt to scramble back on top of the giant volucris and Antonia climbed behind him, signaling the volucris to begin flying towards the palace. She herself fired a blast of dark magic that shook the entire palace.

The battle had officially begun.

"Good job." Joe nodded to the magicians with him. "Now, cease fire and get to the ground so we can really start this battle."

"I still don't see why you're in charge." Christophe grumbled. "You should have just taken the Council's advice and given them The Book."

Joe ignored him completely and brushed him aside to get to Joleena and Anna who were waiting patiently for his next orders.

"Anna," He said. "I need you and the archers to get to the roof and try and hit as many volucris as possible. Aim for their wings so they can't fly and over power us."

"Got it!" Anna raced up to the roof, followed by the royal archers.

"And what would you like me to do?" Joleena asked.

"Since you won't consider staying in the castle, I want you with me." Joe grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "We're going after Antonia and Mad Jack ourselves."

* * *

Red and black volucris were shot down from the sky and came crashing to the earth. That didn't stop them from blasting everything around them though. Blasts of fire and ice tore up the ground. Magicians and skilled fighters fought back the best they could but Joe could still hear their screams of pain.

For a moment Joe regretted sending his friends back home, regretted starting this battle, and even regretted not just giving into Mad Jack's demands. But then he glanced back at Joleena who was running close beside him, and he felt a surge of confidence from her gaze. Joe refocused and spotted Mad Jack and Antonia flying high above them on the giant volucris. Antonia was alternatively blasting away at the palace's foundation and walls trying to destroy it.

"We have to get up there somehow." Joleena tried to yell above the noise.

Joe nodded, biting his lower lip in thought. Then a grin spread across his face as he remembered a beautiful night in Paris, what seem like a lifetime ago, when Joleena first showed him the true magic of love.

"Joleena," He said grabbing her hands, "do you remember our last night in Paris? When we finally said we loved each other?"

"You're bringing this up now!?" She said incredulously.

"Just trust me." Joe pulled her close and focused on the love they shared, converting the energy to magic. "Do you love me?"

Joleena closed her eyes and focused her magic as well. "Yes."

And just like that night, Joe felt something indescribable take place between them and suddenly they were airborne. Their magic mixed and shone brightly in shades of purple and green as they soared through the sky heading directly to Mad Jack and Antonia.

"Can you focus enough energy to blast them?" Joe asked.

" _Oui."_ Joleena briefly closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were glowing bright purple. "Just say when."

Joe watched and waited carefully. Mad Jack and Antonia didn't seem to even know that he and Joleena were tailing them. But there was still a few volucris in the sky and Joe had to wait until they had the perfect shot.

"Now!" He yelled.

Joleena fired a blast of magic from her eyes and hit the giant volucris directly. Mad Jack and Antonia yelled out in surprise as they suddenly went toppling out of the sky in a bout of green smoke and purple flames. Antonia recovered first, cushioning her fall with a cloud of her dark magic, but Mad Jack landed flat on his face.

"Ow," Mad Jack whined as he stood up. "You could have broken something you know."

"Quiet." Antonia growled.

Joe and Joleena landed, still hand clasped, in front of them. Mad Jack glared at Joe with a mixture of wariness and annoyance, and Antonia stared at Joleena with pure hatred.

"You and the wanna be Warp Wizard will regret this fight, whore." Antonia spat at Joleena.

"You're the one who'll regret this." Joe growled back.

Antonia gave a scream of rage and fired a blast of her magic just as Mad Jack raised his staff and fired as well. Without needing a word from Joe, Joleena created a shield around both of them. Before the smoke had a chance to clear, they both ran out firing their own magic at them. Antonia easily shielded most of the blasts, but Mad Jack was easily pushed back.

"Stand your ground you fool!" Antonia snapped at him.

"I'm trying, stop yelling at me!" Mad Jack yelled back.

He then lit up his staff again and swiped it several times through the air, sending sharp crescent shaped bursts of bright green magic at them.

"Reverse!" Joe yelled and the crescents changed shades of green and headed back to Mad Jack instead. He tried to dodge out of the way, but he was too slow and was rocked by the explosions.

 _"Fumus serpentium!"_ Snakes made of dark purple smoke rose from the ground in front of Antonia and raced towards them.

" _Ignis_ _linia!"_ Joleena yelled in return.

Lines of fire rose from the ground as well, burning up all of the snakes but one. Before Joleena could dodge it, the one snake wrapped itself around her torso, baring its fangs. Joe cried out her name anxiously and started to run to her, but she gave a small shake of her head. Her entire body glowed purple and a surge of her magic radiated from her body and evaporated the snake from her body. But as soon as the snake disappeared, a shot from Mad Jack's staff hit Joleena, sending her flying back.

"Joleena!" Joe cried then turned to Mad Jack with a scowl. "You bastard!"

Opening The Book with one hand, Joe called out the words _terra catenulis interposuit,_ creating large chains of earth that wrapped around Mad Jack and flung him through the air. As his screams arched through the air, blasts of Antonia's smoke hit Joe and then he was sent flying through the air.

"Aah!" He screamed and landed with a thud near Joleena just as she was getting on her knees.

Joleena spat and wiped some blood off her lower lip. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Joe groaned, holding his side. "How long do you think we can go on like this?"

Joleena didn't answer for a moment. Her clothes were torn and her face was covered with dirt and blood. Around them the battle wore on. There was smoke everywhere, but from what Joe could see, at least the magicians weren't being completely taken over by the volucris. Heck, Joe thought they might even be winning. He even saw some arrows, made out of bright pink magic taking out more than a few birds.

"Look out!"

Joleena suddenly pushed Joe out of the way as a blast of green magic and dark purple magic came in from two different directions. A scream of agony tore from her throat as both blasts of magic hit her. Mad Jack and Antonia smiled wickedly as their combined magic electrocuted her.

"Noo!" Joe yelled.

Some distant instinct told Joe to open The Book and he yelled, " _Averto!"_

The Book began to glow and absorbed the magic away from Joleena, then fired it back at Mad Jack and Antonia instead. They were both hit and fell to the ground with screams of pain. Joe ran to Joleena and caught her up in his arms just before she fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked urgently.

Joleena coughed up smoke and gave him a weak smile. "Is that a real question?"

"This… isn't… over…" A gravelly voice said.

Joe and Joleena both looked up to see Antonia getting shakily to her feet again. Her eyes were glowing dark purple and there was a murderous look in her eyes.

"You just won't die, will you whore?" She said, addressing Joleena. "When I do finally kill you though, I will enjoy seeing your boyfriend's heart break in two and the light die from his eyes." This part she directed at Joe with a scowl.

"You can try-" Joleena tried to get up again, but she knees began trembling.

"Stay down, sweetheart." Joe said gently. "You've done enough."

Joleena glanced behind them, and when she saw that Mad Jack wasn't moving, she nodded warily. "Are you sure, _mon amour?_ "

"I'm sure." Joe held her in his arms briefly. "I'll handle this."

"Hey!" Antonia snapped. "Do not ignore me you peasants!"

Joe gently eased Joleena back to the ground and slowly stood up to face Antonia. She gave him one nasty smirk before flying at him.

" _Accelerari!_ " Joe yelled with The Book in hand, accelerating his speed allowing him to race towards her as well.

He built up magic into his fist and aimed a blow directly at Antonia's face. But she deflected it with her magic, causing him to go spinning. He quickly regained his footing though and headed towards Antonia again. This time he aimed a round house kick at her that hit her square in the side.

Joe and Antonia fought fist to fist, fueled by their magic. San-Li's combat training was probably the only reason Joe was able to keep up with Antonia. In the few years since they fought last she seemed to have gotten stronger. But then Joe took a page from San-Li's fighting style, and was able to redirect one of Antonia's blows to throw her off balance, then kicked her directly in the stomach knocking her to the ground.

This time Antonia didn't automatically get up. Joe allowed himself a moment of triumph as he stood over her. She scowled up at him, but she still didn't get up.

"Now maybe I can finally get you to leave my friends alone for good." Joe opened The Book and began leafing through the pages. "I may not be able to send you to Malzena yet, but my uncle once told me about a place in Antarctica where time travel magic won't work, so maybe-"

"Not so fast dear nephew!"

Joe's head snapped up. Mad Jack was now standing on shaking legs behind an equally weak Joleena, restraining her across the shoulders with his glowing staff. One of his eyes were swollen shut and the corner of his mouth was bleeding, but he had a triumphant smile of his face.

"Let her go, Mad Jack!" Joe demanded.

"Give me the Book, Joe," Antonia said, "Or I'll give him the order to kill your whore."

Joe looked at Joleena, hoping that she would break out of Mad Jack's grip, but the blasts from earlier had weakened her significantly, and she could barely summon a glow to her eyes.

"You don't have a choice here, Joseph." Antonia said darkly. "Or do you want to see your beloved blasted into bits?"

Joe's stomach felt weak and a sweat broke over his forehead. The noise from the battle became a dull roar. Giving over The Book meant the end of everything in both worlds. But not giving up The Book meant the end of his world. He looked at Joleena one more time and she gave the smallest shake of her head. She didn't want him to give up, but Joe didn't have a choice.

"Here," Joe threw The Book down at Antonia.

"Finally!" Antonia shrieked standing up.

She blasted Joe in the chest with her magic, knocking him to the ground with a cry of pain. The Book began flashing, as if it was panicking, matching the fluttering of Joe's panicked heart in his chest.

"You stupid, stupid boy!" Antonia cackled. "Now that you've given me The Book, what's to stop me from killing your whore myself?"

"No!" Joe yelled. "Let Joleena go! You don't need her anymore!"

"You don't have any power here, remember?" Antonia brandished the still flashing Book. "Instead of killing your whore first though, how about I make a visit to your home world instead? I could start with your family, then move on to your friends. One by one."

She began to laugh maniacally, holding The Book in her hands. Joe stared at Joleena, still being held captive by Mad Jack. Her eyes were weak and terrified, but even now in their darkest hour, she still gave him a loving smile. Joe's eyes fell from her face and landed on his hands. He hadn't noticed it before, but his hands were trembling and flashing green just like The Book. Again, the same distinct instinct told him exactly what to do.

"Joleena," He called towards her. "I'm about to do something absolutely crazy... but it might save our lives."

"It's okay Joe," Joleena gave him another weak smile. "I trust you wholeheartedly _mon amour._ "

"Alright, then.." Joe took a breath and mustered up a smile for her. "Joleena, if we survive this crazy thing I'm about to do… will you marry me?"

Tears sprung to Joleena's eyes and she nodded. "Yes. Yes I will, Joseph."

"What are you two talking about?" Antonia snapped. "What are you about to do?"

"Like I said," Joe chuckled and clenched both of his fist. "Something crazy."

And with that Joe held his clenched, flashing fists high into the air and The Book jumped out of Antonia's hands. He then gave Joleena a final hopeful smile before making an exaggerated tearing motion in the air.

At the exact same time… The Book ripped itself in half.

A blinding bright pillar of green light instantly erupted from the ripped halves of The Book. Antonia screamed in agonizing pain and grabbed the side of her face. Mad Jack also screamed, more out of surprise than anything and fell back, finally letting go of Joleena.

There was a second explosion as more green light erupted out of the two halves of The Book. Shockwaves of time magic flashed out everywhere. All of the volucris were instantly destroyed and all the magicians dropped for cover.

Joleena somehow managed to crawl over to him and buried her face in his chest to protect her eyes from the too bright light. Joe wrapped his arms around her tightly, and even though he should have been blinded by the light, he couldn't stop staring at it. Joe watched in amazement as he saw pages from The Book fly out and explode into bright flashes. It may have only been seconds but it seemed like hours.

After a while, the light slowly faded and the pillar disappeared until just a soft glowing orb of green light remained. Joe let go of Joleena and held out his hands. The orb slowly descended into his palms and when it touched his hands, the light disappeared leaving a small bundle of pages loosely bound with string.

"All that's left of The Book." Joe whispered to himself, knowing that it was true.

"Joe?" Joleena slowly lifted her face from his chest. "What was that? What was that light?"

"I… did it…" Joe stared at the bundle of pages in his hands. "I destroyed The Book."

 **A/N- Okay, that's just about it. Just an epilogue entitled "Four Years Later" ;) ;)**


	26. Epilogue: Four Years Later

**Four Years Later:**

Anna walked through the town's marketplace with her travelling cloak loosely billowing around her. The weather was a nice, breezy seventy here in Syrania, but for the past six months Anna had been in a more desert like country so her body hadn't yet adjusted to the cooler weather. But still, it was good to be home.

Home being Syrania that is. Ever since her brother destroyed The Book to keep the Tenebrosi from having it, there had been no travel between any of the worlds, magic or normal. So she, Joe, Joleena and everyone else from the normal world had been completely trapped in the magic world. But it wasn't all bad. Anna had become a full-fledged oracle and loved to travel and help anyone who needed her.

A large plushy pink volucris caught her eye at one of the stalls. Its eyes were large and sweet looking, and it even had a felt tongue poking out of its beak. Anna chuckled. It would be a fitting gift for her niece's belated birthday.

"How much for this one?" Anna asked the merchant woman.

"Ah, a souvenir form the great Battle of Volucris." The old woman chuckled. "I'm running a special on it, four silver rubents."

It was a bit of a rip-off, but Anna gave the woman a five rubents coin anyway. A tube of dark pink lipstick also caught her eye as well and she bought that too. With her new purchases under one arm, Anna hailed a carriage to take her to Joe's place where she was staying while she was in town.

"Warp Wizard's place, please." She told the driver.

"You have business there?" The driver asked, starting up the horses. "I've never met the new Warp Wizard myself, but I hear he's a pretty swell guy and that wife of his is drop dead gorgeous."

"Eh, he's alright." Anna shrugged. "He can be a pain in the butt sometimes though."

The driver looked at her like she was crazy. "You talk about Warp Wizard Joe like that? I hear he nearly destroyed both worlds with his magic but chose not to. That man's got some serious magic."

Anna rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh. After it happened Joe had confided in her that what he did was purely out of instinct. He had become a lot more powerful sure, but most of the time Joe was just winging it.

The carriage rode through town and across a field until it got closer to the palace. The driver then steered off to the left a little away from the palace until they came to a large, gated cottage with an expansive garden in the front. As they neared it, Anna called up a small mirror and applied the lipstick she just bought.

"Thanks for the ride." Anna handed the driver a large tip. "I'll be sure to let my brother know you defended his honor."

The driver's mouth fell open in surprise and Anna hopped out with a small laugh. She walked right up to the gate and unlocked it with her key. Damien was crouched over tending to the herb patch and didn't hear her approach.

"Hey, aren't you going to welcome me home?" She teased.

"Anna?" Damien jumped up and for a moment his stoic expression showed genuine surprise and happiness. "I thought you weren't supposed to get back for another week."

"Well the crisis wasn't nearly as bad as they wrote in the letter." Anna stepped closer to him and lowered her voice. "Is my brother home?"

Damien smirked and stepped closer to her as well. "He's been locked up in his steady all morning."

"Perfect." She whispered.

Damien closed the distance between them, kissing her lips tenderly. They had been secretly dating for a few years now, careful to keep their relationship a secret from Joe. Even though Damien now lived with Joe and Joleena, working as Joleena's assistant, Joe still had some reservations about Damien and would go ballistic if he knew they were dating.

Sure enough Damien was the first to pull away, "You should go inside before we get caught."

"Alright, but maybe we can go for a walk later?" Anna asked hopefully.

"We'll see." Damien kissed her forehead. "Now get out of here, I'm working."

Anna rolled her eyes and moved away from him, heading into the cottage. The living room was large and expansive to accommodate visitors of any size or height.

"Joe! Joleena!" Anna called out. "I'm back!"

" _Venir si vous plait!"_

There was the sound of heels on the steps and Anna smiled. Joleena came down the stairs wearing a beautiful light purple house dress with her hair pulled back in a low pony tail. And in her arms was her daughter and Anna's three year old niece, Joanna. Joanna's bright green eyes lit up when she saw Anna and she held out her chubby arms for her.

"Anananana!" Joanna cried out happily.

"She's just woke up from her nap and she's already full of energy." Joleena chuckled as she walked up to Anna. "Did everything go alright?"

"I handled it, no big deal." Anna shrugged and pulled out the stuffed toy she bought. "Look what Auntie Anna bought for you Joanna."

Joanna squealed happily and grabbed the toy volucris out of her hands. Joleena smiled and adjusted her better on her hip.

"I like that lipstick you're wearing." She smiled. "Though it is looking a little smudged… you haven't been kissing anyone have you?"

Anna felt her face flush and she looked away quickly. "No…"

Suddenly, there was a bright green flash from upstairs and all the windows in the house blew open. Joanna cried in fear and clung to her mother as strong gusts of green magic swirled inside of the house.

"What's going on!?" Damien yelled bursting into the house. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone gather closer." Joleena yelled.

The four of them huddled together as the magic grew stronger. Joleena created a shield around them for protection.

"There, there." She cooed to the wailing Joanna. "Everything will be alright, _ma petite cherie._ "

The shield blocked out most of the noise from the swirling magic but they could still see it. And if you looked closely, you could almost swear that there were pieces of paper floating in the magic wind as well. Eventually the wind stopped the same way it started, with a bright flash of green light. Joleena kept the shield up for a moment though so Joe's voice was muffled as he began calling to them from upstairs.

Joleena lowered her shield, "We're in the living room!"

Joe raced down the stairs with a green glowing object in his hands. When he saw Anna a grin grew on his face.

"It's happening, Anna." He said excitedly. "It's finally happening."

"What is it? What's happening?"

"It's The Book."

Joe held out the glowing object in his hands and sure enough something rectangular was forming within the green glow. They all watched in amazement as the green glow faded revealing a newly formed Book.

"How?" Anna asked in bewilderment.

"I don't know how it happened, but I do know what it means." Joe's smile grew. "We can finally go home again."

* * *

It turned out The Book was still a bit on the unstable side so it actually ended up warping them back to Brooklyn only a few months after Joe sent the others back. So while four years passed for Joe, Joleena, Anna, and Damien, only a couple of months passed for their friends and family. By the time they figured out what happened, Joe didn't see the point in warping forward an additional four years, so from now on he would just have to be the oldest of his best friends.

Right now they were all over at the hotel Joe and the others were staying at until Joe could figure out a more permanent situation. He, Sam, and Fred were sitting outside on the room's balcony, rocking the sleeping children in their arms. Joe held his daughter Joanna, Sam was holding Keiko, and Fred was holding Sammy. The two little girls had quickly became best friends much to their mothers' chagrin.

"So that's it?" Fred asked in disbelief, after Joe finished telling them what happened. "The Book just magically fixed itself and you decided to come back to the normal world? Just like that?"

"Of course just like that." Joe rolled his eyes. "Brooklyn is my home, my whole life is here. Why wouldn't I come back?"

"It's not that we aren't glad that you're back or anything." Sam said throwing a look at Fred. "It's just that… you said you spent four years over there. Didn't you and Joleena make a life over there?"

"Only because we didn't have a choice." Joe sighed. "I missed it here. I missed my parents. I… missed you guys."

"We missed you too." Fred and Sam said.

Joanna yawned and began shifting in Joe's arms, disturbed by the sound of their talking. She had been having trouble sleeping ever since they came back from Syrania. Joleena explained that it was because the air was different between the two worlds.

"So what now?" Sam asked. "Are you still the Warp Wizard for this world or the other world?"

"Both I guess." Joe shrugged. "It was supposed to part of my Warp Wizard duties anyway, after I destroyed The Book though no one else could mess with this world anyway."

"And what about the Tenebrosi Sanction? Think they'll show up anytime soon?" Fred asked.

"Most definitely." Joe nodded. "Just because Mad Jack and Antonia are stuck in a Syranian dungeon, doesn't mean the rest of them aren't out there. They may even know that The Book fixed itself."

Sam frowned and held his daughter a little tighter. "And what will you do if they do decide to come back?"

Joe smiled, feeling his magic within him. After four years in Syrania and all that he had been through, he felt more confident than ever.

"If the Tenebrosi do decide to crawl out from under their rock, I'll be ready for them."

 **A/N- That's all for Chaotic Light. If you feel like I glossed over anything, the four years Joe, Joleena, and Anna spent in Syrania will be further expanded in _Magic Between Us_ chapters. That includes Joe and Joleena's marriage, Joe settling into his Warp Wizard status, and the birth of Joanna. Thanks for everyone's continued support and reading my work. **


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